Table 2.
Recent changes in methodology of the surveys used to assess E-cigarette use among youth and adults in the United States.
| Survey | Methodology |
|---|---|
| National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) | Paper and pencil questionnaires since inception in 1999, began using electronic data collection methods (tablets) starting in 2019 (In-person offline tablet-based) but in 2021, due to COVID-19, was fully online so that eligible participants could access from classrooms, at home, or from other remote learning environments. |
| Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) | The CDC developed one-time, online Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), which was conducted during January–June 2021 to assess student behaviors and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic among high school students. For the State-based YRBS, some states e.g., Indiana completed the 2021 survey (January–April 2021) and Wisconsin (September 2012–December 2021) while Florida withdrew from the YRBS |
| Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) | Early termination of field efforts in 2020 resulting in small sample size; 2021 resumed with a change to all web-based surveys. Students completed the surveys on their personal or school-provided device. |
| International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey—US Study | No documented change |
| Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) | Because the BRFSS is a telephone survey and employs computer-assisted telephone interviews, the data collection methodology did not significantly change during COVID-19. |
| National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) | Approximately half of the original sample allocated for the last five months of 2020 was replaced with sample adults who completed the 2019 NHIS sample adult interview. The reinterviewing of Sample Adults from 2019 using the 2020 NHIS questionnaire also provided an opportunity to assess changes over time in health outcomes measured on both survey years and assess measures during the pandemic. |
| Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS-TUS) | No documented change |
| Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) | No documented change |
| The Tobacco Products and Risk Perception Surveys (TPRPS) | Last survey in 2018 |
| International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey—US Study | No documented change |
| National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) | The 2019–2020 data collection cycle was suspended in March 2020 due to the inability to perform in-person exams on account of rising COVID-19 cases. Therefore, the 2019-early 2020 data is not nationally representative. The 2021–2022 sampling strategy decreased the number of households screened (from ∼13,000 to ∼7000), leading to fewer in-person encounters for field staff. The reduction in the number of households screened did not change the targeted total examined sample of ∼10,000 persons across the 30 primary sampling units. Additionally, eligible survey participants scheduled a telephone appointment to complete the home interview. |
| National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) | Changed to web-based in 2020 |
| Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) | No documented change |