Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS): technical report 2018

Questionnaire design

In line with the surveys since 2002, the 2018 survey looked at substance use in relation to a series of lifestyle and social factors^[1].

There were no changes to the smoking and alcohol questions between 2015 and 2018, and no drugs questions were added or removed. The following drugs questions were amended:

• For the questions 'Have you ever been offered any of the following drugs?' and 'When was the last time you ever used or took any of the following?', the names of the following drugs were updated (additions in bold):

• Gas, Glue or other solvents (Tipp-Ex, lighter fuel, aerosols, NO, laughing gas, nitrous oxide, noitrous or noz) – To inhale or sniff
• Tranquilisers (downers, benzos, valium, vallies, blues, Temazepam, Xanax, Xans)

Changes to the contextual questions are outlined below.

• 'Are you male or female?' was changed to "How would you describe your gender identity?" The codes were also updated to reflect the change in wording, from "Male/Female" to "Boy/Girl/In another way/Prefer not to say". Those who said, "In another way" were asked, "If you would like to, please write in what other words you use".
• One question was reinstated from 2013: "How well off would you say your family/the people you live with are?" The answer codes were "Very well off/Quite well off/Average/Not well off/Not at all well off".