June 5 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on National Youth Tobacco Surveys (NYTS), which aims to collect data on tobacco use among middle- and high school students. CDC must receive written comments on or before August 4, 2023.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, and nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. A limited number of health risk behaviors, including tobacco use, account for most immediate and long-term sources of morbidity and mortality. Because many health risk behaviors are established during adolescence, there is a critical need for public health programs directed towards youth, and for information to support these programs.
Since 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has periodically collected information about tobacco use among adolescents (National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011–2023 (OMB Control No. 0920–0621, Exp. 01/31/2024). This surveillance activity builds on previous surveys funded by the American Legacy Foundation in 1999, 2000, and 2002.
At present, the NYTS is the most comprehensive source of nationally representative tobacco data among students in grades 9–12, moreover, the NYTS is the only source of such data for students in grades 6–8. The NYTS has provided national estimates of tobacco use behaviors, information about exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco influences, and information about racial and ethnic disparities in tobacco-related topics. Information collected through the NYTS is used to identify trends over time, to inform the development of tobacco cessation programs for youth, and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing interventions and programs.
CDC plans to request OMB approval to conduct additional cycles of the NYTS in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The survey will be conducted among nationally representative samples of students attending public and private schools in grades 6–12. The survey will be digital, web-based, self-administered, and will be taken on school or personal computers, tablets, or mobile devices. Information supporting the NYTS also will be collected from state-, district-, and school-level administrators and teachers. During the 2024–2026 timeframe, changes will be incorporated that reflect CDC's ongoing collaboration with FDA and the need to measure progress toward meeting strategic goals established by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
The survey will examine the following topics: Use of e-cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookahs, roll-your-own cigarettes, pipes, snus, dissolvable tobacco, bidis, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches; knowledge and attitudes; media and advertising; access to tobacco products and enforcement of restrictions on access; second-hand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol exposure; and cessation.
Results of the NYTS will continue to be used to inform and evaluate the National Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program, provide data to inform the Department of Health and Human Service's Tobacco Control Strategic Action Plan, and provide national benchmark data for state-level Youth Tobacco Surveys. Information collected through the NYTS is also expected to provide multiple measures and data for monitoring progress on seven tobacco-related objectives for Healthy People 2030.
NYTS:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/surveys/nyts/index.htm
Draft survey instrument and technical documentation available at
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5zvomkcgc7u5emaqrcnvn/h?dl=0&rlkey=15x28jd7qu39nhfgenau78622.
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-11858