REPORT OF PPAAUS 2003 RESULTS
Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude, and Use Survey

Student Perspectives on the Use of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs, and Violence
FRANKLIN COUNTY OHIO SCHOOLS

Background

As part of its commitment to the youth of Franklin County, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Consortium of the Educational Council sponsors a triennial needs assessment survey for students in sixth through twelfth grades throughout Franklin County. In 2003, more than 80,000 students in Franklin County schools participated in the sixth Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude and Use Survey.
With the information from PPAAUS, county and district prevention personnel are able to make decisions that guide prevention and intervention programs, planning, and policy. Many items and topics in PPAAUS have remained the same over the years to allow the Consortium to also track trends in behavior and attitudes. This year, the Consortium is especially interested in correlations between targeted behaviors and substance use. By finding these relationships, the Consortium will better be able to assist young people discover paths that will help them make healthy choices. Funding assistance for the 2003 survey was provided by the Columbus Medical Association Foundation, Safe & Drug-Free Schools Consortium, US Dept. of Justice Office of Justice Programs and United Way of Central Ohio.

In November 2003, surveys were administered in primarily standard classroom settings, with students marking their responses directly on the questionnaires. The Consortium provided coordination among all participating schools, training for survey administration, teacher scripts, written instructions, and envelopes for classroom collection. Diagnostics Plus, an independent survey-research organization, provided project coordination, survey scanning, data management, data analyses, and comprehensive reports and graphics.

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