1. The Vermont Young Adult Survey: Methods and Some Initial Findings
Bob Flewelling
Amy Livingston

2. Background
Vermont awarded Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success (SPF PFS) in 2012
Focus on underage drinking (including binge drinking) and prescription drug misuse among persons under age 25
Reaching year olds to assess substance use and related behaviors a challenge, but necessary for PFS evaluation

3. 2014 Vermont YAS
Conducted YAS in 2008 and 2010 as part of evaluation of Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant, along with Core Survey on Drug and Alcohol Use for college students
In 2014, revised YAS to incorporate prescription drug objective
Baseline conducted in March/April of 2014
Follow-up to be conducted in March/April of 2016

4. 2014 Vermont YAS Methods Online only (developed and hosted by PIRE)
Compatible with smartphones and tablets
Required about 10 minutes to complete
Eligibility: Vermont residents aged 18-25
Anonymous
Incentives: Weekly drawings of $100, plus $250 grand prize
Contact info for drawing collected on different site (proof of age and residence required of winners)
Approved by PIRE’s IRB

5. Recruitment Methods Postcards
Partnered with Vermont DMV to obtain list of licensed drivers aged 18-25
Postcards mailed to 12,459 names on this list on March 5
Included survey web address and QR code on postcard

7. Facebook ads
Designed six ads to appear on Facebook targeted to individuals aged living in Vermont
Ads ran for 6.5 weeks from March 13-April 27
Also had Facebook page for survey

8. This is how the ad appeared in newsfeed
This was our best performing ad

9. Percent of Respondents

10. Cost Effectiveness of Advertising Methods
Total number of usable surveys = 3200
Postcards
Facebook
N = 333
N = 2569
$7.88 per respondent
$1.29 per respondent

11. Vermont Young Adult Survey (YAS): Sample Demographics (Compared to Population)
Feature
Value N
Sample %
Pop %
Age group
18-20
1198
37.4
43.6
21-25
2002
62.6
56.4
Gender
Female
2232
70.0
48.4
Male
938
29.4
51.6
Transgender 18
0.6 --
Student Status
Not a student
1606
50.3
Full-time college
1070
33.5
Part-time/Other
520
16.3
Overall participation rate: 4.4% of population
Rates varied by county from 3.1% to 6.4%

12. Making the sample look more like the target population… The magic of weighting the data
YAS data were weighted to reflect Vermont population distributions for: County by Gender by Age group

13. Weighted Prevalence Estimates1 for Key Outcomes: YAS Comparisons to Vermont NSDUH 2011-12
Measure
Young Adult Survey (2014)
NSDUH
( )
Alcohol use in past 30 days
74.7
71.2
Binge drinking in past 30 days
55.3
49.5
Marijuana use in past 30 days
37.3
33.2
Non-medical use of Rx pain relievers in past year
7.4
12.0
1Percent of persons who used

14. Prevalence Rates for Past Month Alcohol Use: Full-time College Students vs. Other (from YAS)1

15. Prevalence Rates for Past Month Marijuana Use: Full-time College Students vs. Other (from YAS)

16. Prevalence Rates for Past Year Rx Drug Misuse: Full-time College Students vs. Other (from YAS)1

17. Perceived Risk of Alcohol and Marijuana Use by Full-time College Students (Vermont YAS)

18. Next Steps for YAS…
Primary purpose is to compare PFS funded and non-funded areas of the state in changes between 2014 and 2016.
Meanwhile…
Construct statewide tables showing distributions of all items by age group, gender, and student status (for ADAP use)
Construct county-specific tables for PFS community grantees (overall frequencies only)

19. Contact Info and Survey Website
Bob Flewelling or
Amy Lvingston
To access the survey (no data will be recorded), go to:
and click on the word “survey” in the graphic at the top of the page.