Unit-level Survey Weighted Hierarchical Bayes Small Area Estimation for Binary Outcomes

Oregon Convention Center 

Dr. Ralph Folsom, former chief scientist at RTI International and ASA Fellow, passed away on December 14, 2022. Ralph's 47-year career at RTI was filled with many innovative advancements in the field of survey data analyses. He developed Survey Weighted hierarchical Bayes (SWHB) small are estimation (SAE) methodology for unit-level binary outcomes from complex survey data (Folsom, Shah, Vaish, 1999) to enable Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to produce reliable and cost-effective state and local area level estimates in a timely manner. Ralph's innovative work on SAE played a critical role in the expansion of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 1999 from a national design to the current state stratified design. Since then, SWHB methodology is being used to produce annual state estimates and biennial substate estimates for over 35 binary NSDUH outcomes. State and local health departments use NSDUH data to assess area substance use and mental health problems and to develop appropriate funding strategies and prevention measures. This presentation is a dedication to Ralph, and it highlights some of the salient feature of the SWHB methodology.