There are several surveys in Canada that focus on or include questions about the use of controlled substances such as alcohol, cannabis, prescription medication, and illegal drugs. These tools and consistency across them are necessary to inform development of effective policies, programs for education and prevention, and evaluation of strategies to mitigate harmful substance use. SRDC has been engaged by the Office of Drug Research and Surveillance at Health Canada to perform a crosswalk analysis of selected surveys to identify:
1) similar survey items and assess their level of comparability, and
2) identify common indicators that routinely appear in the included surveys.
Results will be used by Health Canada to improve coherence across surveys going forward.
Published: March 2023
Capability: Policy Research
Policy Area: Health - Population Health
Population: General Population