U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce the proportion of people who had opioid use disorder in the past year — SU‑18 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), SAMHSA

Baseline: 0.7 percent of persons aged 12 years and over reported an opioid use disorder (heroin or prescription pain reliever) in the past 12 months in 2018

Target: 0.5 percent

Numerator
Number of persons aged 12 years and over with opioid use disorder (defined as meeting DSM-IV criteria) in the past 12 months.
Denominator
Number of persons aged 12 years and over.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective, but it was not possible to project a target because the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts expected a slowdown in progress. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significant improvement from the baseline.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:

Numerator:
DRHE01 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, was there a month or more when you spent a lot of your time getting or using heroin?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE02 [IF DRHE01 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, was there a month or more when you spent a lot of your time getting over the effects of the heroin you used?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE04 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you try to set limits on how often or how much heroin you would use?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE05 [IF DRHE04 = 1] Were you able to keep to the limits you set, or did you often use heroin more than you intended to?
  1. Usually kept to the limits set
  2. Often drank more than intended
DRHE06 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you need to use more heroin than you used to in order to get the effect you wanted?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE07 [IF DRHE06=2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you notice that using the same amount of heroin had less effect on you than it used to?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE08 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you want to or try to cut down or stop using heroin?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE09 [IF DRHE08 = 1] During the past 12 months, were you able to cut down or stop using heroin every time you wanted to or tried to?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE10 [IF DRHE08 = 2 OR DK/REF OR DRHE09 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you cut down or stop using heroin at least one time?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE11 [IF DRHE09 = 1 OR DRHE10 = 1] Please look at the symptoms listed below. During the past 12 months, did you have 3 or more of these symptoms after you cut back or stopped using heroin?
  • Feeling kind of blue or down
  • Vomiting or feeling nauseous
  • Having cramps or muscle aches
  • Having teary eyes or a runny nose
  • Feeling sweaty, having enlarged eye pupils, or having body hair standing up on your skin
  • Having diarrhea
  • Yawning
  • Having a fever
  • Having trouble sleeping
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE12 [IF DRHE11 = 1] Please look at the symptoms listed below. During the past 12 months, did you have 3 or more of these symptoms at the same time that lasted for longer than a day after you cut back or stopped using heroin?
  • Feeling kind of blue or down
  • Vomiting or feeling nauseous
  • Having cramps or muscle aches
  • Having teary eyes or a runny nose
  • Feeling sweaty, having enlarged eye pupils, or having body hair standing up on your skin
  • Having diarrhea
  • Yawning
  • Having a fever
  • Having trouble sleeping
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE13 [[IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you have any problems with your emotions, nerves, or mental health that were probably caused or made worse by your use of heroin?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE14 [IF DRHE13 = 1] Did you continue to use heroin even though you thought it was causing you to have problems with your emotions, nerves, or mental health?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE15 [IF DRHE13 = 2 OR DK/REF OR DRHE14 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you have any physical health problems that were probably caused or made worse by your use of heroin?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE16 [IF DRHE15 = 1] Did you continue to use heroin even though you thought it was causing you to have physical problems?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE17 [IF HER12MON = 1] This question is about important activities such as working, going to school, taking care of children, doing fun things such as hobbies and sports, and spending time with friends and family.
During the past 12 months, did using heroin cause you to give up or spend less time doing these types of important activities?
  1. Yes
  2. No

DRHE18 [IF HER12MON = 1] Sometimes people who use heroin have serious problems at home, work or school — such as:

  • neglecting their children
  • missing work or school
  • doing a poor job at work or school
  • losing a job or dropping out of school
During the past 12 months, did using heroin cause you to have serious problems like this either at home, work, or school?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE19 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you regularly use heroin and then do something where using heroin might have put you in physical danger?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE20 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did using heroin cause you to do things that repeatedly got you in trouble with the law?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE21 [IF HER12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you have any problems with family or friends that were probably caused by your use of heroin?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRHE22 [IF DRHE21 = 1] Did you continue to use heroin even though you thought it caused problems with family or friends?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR01 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, was there a month or more when you spent a lot of your time getting or using prescription pain relievers?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR02 [IF DRPR01 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, was there a month or more when you spent a lot of your time getting over the effects of the prescription pain relievers you used?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR04 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you try to set limits on how often or how much prescription pain relievers you would use?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR05 [IF DRPR04 = 1] Were you able to keep to the limits you set, or did you often use prescription pain relievers more than you intended to?
  1. Usually kept to the limits set
  2. Often drank more than intended
DRPR06 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you need to use more prescription pain relievers than you used to in order to get the effect you wanted?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR07 [IF DRPR06=2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you notice that using the same amount of prescription pain relievers had less effect on you than it used to?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR08 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you want to or try to cut down or stop using prescription pain relievers?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR09 [IF DRPR08 = 1] During the past 12 months, were you able to cut down or stop using prescription pain relievers every time you wanted to or tried to?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR10 [IF DRPR08 = 2 OR DK/REF OR DRPR09 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you cut down or stop using prescription pain relievers at least one time?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR11 [IF DRPR09 = 1 OR DRPR10 = 1] Please look at the symptoms listed below. During the past 12 months, did you have 3 or more of these symptoms after you cut back or stopped using prescription pain relievers?
  • Feeling kind of blue or down
  • Vomiting or feeling nauseous
  • Having cramps or muscle aches
  • Having teary eyes or a runny nose
  • Feeling sweaty, having enlarged eye pupils, or having body hair standing up on your skin
  • Having diarrhea
  • Yawning
  • Having a fever
  • Having trouble sleeping
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR12 [IF DRPR11 = 1] Please look at the symptoms listed below. During the past 12 months, did you have 3 or more of these symptoms at the same time that lasted for longer than a day after you cut back or stopped using prescription pain relievers?
  • Feeling kind of blue or down
  • Vomiting or feeling nauseous
  • Having cramps or muscle aches
  • Having teary eyes or a runny nose
  • Feeling sweaty, having enlarged eye pupils, or having body hair standing up on your skin
  • Having diarrhea
  • Yawning
  • Having a fever
  • Having trouble sleeping
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR13 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you have any problems with your emotions, nerves, or mental health that were probably caused or made worse by your use of prescription pain relievers?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR14 [IF DRPR13 = 1] Did you continue to use prescription pain relievers even though you thought this was causing you to have problems with your emotions, nerves, or mental health?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR15 [IF DRPR13 = 2 OR DK/REF OR DRPR14 = 2 OR DK/REF] During the past 12 months, did you have any physical health problems that were probably caused or made worse by your use of prescription pain relievers?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR16 [IF DRPR15 = 1] Did you continue to use prescription pain relievers even though you thought this was causing you to have physical problems?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR17 [IF PAI12MON = 1] This question is about important activities such as working, going to school, taking care of children, doing fun things such as hobbies and sports, and spending time with friends and family.
During the past 12 months, did using prescription pain relievers cause you to give up or spend less time doing these types of important activities?
  1. Yes
  2. No

DRPR18 [IF PAI12MON = 1] Sometimes people who use prescription pain relievers have serious problems at home, work or school — such as:

  • neglecting their children
  • missing work or school
  • doing a poor job at work or school
  • losing a job or dropping out of school
During the past 12 months, did using prescription pain relievers cause you to have serious problems like this either at home, work, or school?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR19 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you regularly use prescription pain relievers and then do something where using prescription pain relievers might have put you in physical danger?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR20 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did using prescription pain relievers cause you to do things that repeatedly got you in trouble with the law?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR21 [IF PAI12MON = 1] During the past 12 months, did you have any problems with family or friends that were probably caused by your use of prescription pain relievers?
  1. Yes
  2. No
DRPR22 [IF DRPR21 = 1] Did you continue to use prescription pain relievers even though you thought this caused problems with family or friends?
  1. Yes
  2. No

Methodology notes

The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) described two distinct disorders—opioid abuse and opioid dependence—with specific criteria for each. The fifth edition, DSM-5, integrates the two DSM-IV disorders into a single disorder called opioid use disorder, or OUD. Opioids include two categories of drugs: heroin and opioid prescription pain relievers. NSDUH collects dependence and abuse information for these two categories of drugs. A respondent was classified as having an opioid use disorder if he or she met DSM-IV criteria for heroin use disorder or pain reliever use disorder in the past 12 months.