2020 design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of the US population on tobacco use and its effects on health, collecting data annually since 2013. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted in-person survey data collections around the world. In the USA, this included a PATH Study data collection focused on youth (13-17) and young adults (18-19) as well as other US surveys on tobacco use. Given that it was necessary to pause data collection and considering that tobacco-use behaviours could be expected to change along with pandemic-related changes in the social environment, the original design for the 2020 PATH Study data collection for youth and young adults was modified. Also, the PATH Study Adult Telephone Survey was developed to address the need for adult tobacco use monitoring in this unprecedented time. This article describes the modifications made to the 2020 PATH Study design and protocol to provide nationally representative data for youth and adults after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the implications of these modifications for researchers.

Update to the design and methods of the PATH Study, Wave 4 (2016-2017).

The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study is a nationally representative study of the US population on tobacco use and its effects on health, with four waves of data collection between 2013 and 2017. Prior work described the methods of the first three waves. In this paper, we describe the methods of Wave 4, during which a replenishment sample was added to the ongoing cohort. We describe the design and estimation methods of the continuing Wave 1 cohort (with four waves of data) and the Wave 4 cohort (the new cohort created at Wave 4). We provide survey quality metrics, including response rates for both cohorts and a panel conditioning analysis, and guidance on understanding the target populations for both cohorts.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: California and Los Angeles County, Estimation Methods and Analytic Considerations, 1999-2006 and 2007-2014.

Background California is the most populated state and Los Angeles County is the most populated county in the United States. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sample weights and variance units were developed for these places to obtain subnational estimates. Objective This report describes the California and Los Angeles County NHANES 1999-2006 and 2007-2014 samples, including the creation of the sample weights and variance units and descriptions of the resulting data files. Some analytic guidelines are provided. Results Eight years of NHANES data were combined for each data file to provide an adequate sample size and reduce disclosure risks. Because Los Angeles County has been a self-representing primary sampling unit, sample weights for Los Angeles County were relatively straightforward. However, a modelbased approach was used to create sample weights for California. The relatively large proportion of Mexican- American and other Hispanic persons in California, coupled with the different NHANES 1999-2014 sample design requirements for oversampling these groups within the small number of NHANES locations selected each cycle, led to a relatively large size of these groups in the California and Los Angeles County NHANES files. For example, 1,137 and 374 of the 3,353 Mexican-Americans persons in NHANES 2007-2014 were in the California and Los Angeles County samples, respectively. Conclusion The California and Los Angeles County NHANES 1999-2006 and 2007-2014 samples are available in the National Center for Health Statistics Research Data Center.

National health and nutrition examination survey: sample design, 2011-2014.

Background Data collection for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) consists of a household screener, an interview, and a physical examination. The screener primarily determines whether any household members are eligible for the interview and examination. Eligibility is established using preset selection probabilities for the desired demographic subdomains. After an eligible sample person is selected, the interview collects person-level demographic, health, and nutrition information, as well as information about the household. The examination includes physical measurements, tests such as hearing and dental examinations, and the collection of blood and urine specimens for laboratory testing. Objectives This report provides some background on the NHANES program, beginning with the first survey cycle in the 1970s and highlighting significant changes since its inception. The report then describes the broad design specifications for the 2011-2014 survey cycle, including survey objectives, domain and precision specifications, and operational requirements unique to NHANES. The report also describes details of the survey design, including the calculation of sampling rates and sample selection methods. Documentation of survey content, data collection procedures, estimation methods, and methods to assess nonsampling errors are reported elsewhere.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: National Youth Fitness Survey Estimation Procedures, 2012.

BACKGROUND: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's (NHANES) National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) was conducted in 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NNYFS collected data on physical activity and fitness levels to evaluate the health and fitness of children aged 3-15 in the United States. The survey comprised three levels of data collection: a household screening interview (or screener), an in-home personal interview, and a physical examination. The screener's primary objective was to determine whether any children in the household were eligible for the interview and examination. Eligibility was determined by preset selection probabilities for desired sex-age subdomains. After selection, the in-home personal interview collected demographic, health, physical activity, and nutrition information about the child as well as information about the household. The examination included physical measurements and fitness tests. OBJECTIVES: This report provides background on the NNYFS program and summarizes the survey's sample design specifications. The report presents NNYFS estimation procedures, including the methods used to calculate survey weights for the full sample as well as a combined NHANES/NNYFS sample for 2012 (accessible only through the NCHS Research Data Center). The report also describes appropriate variance estimation methods. Documentation of the sample selection methods, survey content, data collection procedures, and methods to assess nonsampling errors are reported elsewhere.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: national youth fitness survey plan, operations, and analysis, 2012.

BACKGROUND: In October 2008, the federal government issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to provide science-based guidance on the types and amounts of physical activity that provide substantial health benefits for Americans (1). Guidelines for children and adolescents recommend 60 minutes or more of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, or bone-strengthening physical activity daily (1). While the number of children in the United States who meet the recommendations in the Physical Activity Guidelines is unknown, the percentage that is physically active in the United States may be declining. No recent national data exist on the fitness levels of children and adolescents. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's (NHANES) National Youth Fitness Survey (NNYFS) was conducted in 2012 and collected data on physical activity and fitness levels for U.S. children and adolescents aged 3-15 years. OBJECTIVES: The objective of NNYFS was to provide national-level estimates of the physical activity and fitness levels of children, based on interview and physical examination data. Results from the survey are intended to contribute to the development of policies and programs to improve youth fitness nationally. The data also may be used in the development of national reference standards for measures of fitness and physical activity. Methods The NNYFS survey design used the design for NHANES, which is a multistage probability sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized resident population of the United States. NNYFS consisted of a household interview and a physical activity and fitness examination in a mobile examination center. A total of 1,640 children and adolescents aged 3-15 were interviewed, and 1,576 were examined.

National health and nutrition examination survey: analytic guidelines, 1999-2010.

Background-Analytic guide lines were first created in 1996 to assist data users in analyzing data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III),conducted from 1988 to 1994 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. NHANES became a continuous annual survey in 1999, with data released to the public in 2-year intervals. In 2002, 2004, and 2006, guidelines were created and posted on the NHANES website to assist analysts in understanding the key issues related to analyzing data from 1999 onward. This report builds on these previous guidelines and provides the first comprehensive summary of analytic guidelines for the 1999-2010 NHANES data. Objectives-This report provides general guidelines for researchers in analyzing 1999-2010 NHANES publicly released data. Information is presented on key issues related to NHANES data, including sample design, demographic variables, and combining survey cycles. Guidance is also provided on data analysis, including the use of appropriate survey weights, calculating variance estimations, determining the reliability of estimates, age adjustment, and computing population counts.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: estimation procedures, 2007-2010.

BACKGROUND: Data collection for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), comprises three levels: an initial household screening interview (or ''screener''), an in-home personal interview, and a physical examination. The primary objective of the screener is to determine whether any household members are eligible for the interview and examination. Eligibility is determined by preset selection probabilities for the desired demographic subdomains. After an eligible sample person is selected, the in-home interview collects person-level demographic, health, and nutrition information, as well as information about the household. The examination includes physical measurements such as blood pressure, a dental examination, and the collection of blood and urine specimens for laboratory testing. OBJECTIVES: This report provides background for the NHANES program and summarizes the sample design specifications for the 2007-2010 survey cycle. Estimation procedures are then presented, including the methods used to calculate survey weights for the full sample and for examination subsamples, as well as guidelines for combining 2-year weights for the analysis of multiyear data. Finally, the appropriate variance estimation methods are described. The sample selection methods, survey content, data collection procedures, and methods for assessing nonsampling errors are documented elsewhere.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: sample design, 2007-2010.

BACKGROUND: Data collection for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) comprises three levels: a household screener, an interview, and a physical examination. The primary objective of the screener is to determine whether any household members are eligible for the interview an dexamination. Eligibility is determined by preset selection probabilities for the desired demographic subdomains. After an eligible sample person is selected, the interview collects person-level demographic, health, and nutrition information, as well as information about the household. The examination includes physical measurements, tests such as hearing and dental examinations, and the collection of blood and urine specimens for laboratory testing. OBJECTIVES: This report provides some background on the NHANES program, beginning with the first survey cycle in the 1970s and highlighting significant changes since its inception. The report then describes the broad design specifications for the 2007-2010 survey cycle, including survey objectives, domain and precision specifications, and operational requirements unique to NHANES. In addition, the report describes the details of the survey design, including the calculation of sampling rates and sample selection methods. Documentation of survey content, data collection procedures, estimation methods, and methods to assess nonsampling errors are reported elsewhere.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: Sample Design, 1999-2006.

BACKGROUND: Data collection for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) comprises three levels: a household screener, an interview, and a physical examination. The primary objective of the screener is to determine whether any household members are eligible for the interview and examination. Eligibility is determined by the preset selection probabilities for the desired demographic subdomains. After selection as an eligible sample person, the interview collects person-level demographic, health, and nutrition information as well as information about the household. The examination includes physical measurements, tests such as eye and dental examinations, and the collection of blood and urine specimens for laboratory testing. OBJECTIVES: This report will first describe the broad design specifications for the 1999-2006 survey including survey objectives, domain and precision specifications, operational requirements, sample design, and estimations procedures. Details of the sample design are divided into two sections. The first section (NHANES 1999-2001 Sample Design) broadly describes the sample design and various design changes during the first three years of the continuous NHANES (1999-2001). The second section (NHANES 2002-2006 Sample Design) describes the final sample design developed and applied for 2002-2006. Weighting and variance estimation procedures are presented in the same manner; however, to correspond to the public data release cycles, the weighting and variance sections are separated into those used for 1999-2002, and those used for 2003-2006. Much of this report is based on survey operations documents and sample design reports prepared by Westat. Documentation of the survey content, procedures, and methods to assess nonsampling errors are reported elsewhere.

Longitudinal Uses of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

OBJECTIVES: The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study is a nationally representative study of the US population on tobacco use and its effects on health, with 3 waves of data collection between 2013 and 2016. Prior work described the methods of the first wave. In this paper, we describe the methods of the subsequent 2 waves and provide recommendations for how to conduct longitudinal analyses of PATH Study data. METHODS: We use standard survey quality metrics to evaluate the results of the follow-up waves of the PATH Study. The recommendations and examples of longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of PATH Study data follow a design-based statistical inference framework. RESULTS: The quality metrics indicate that the PATH Study sample of approximately 40,000 continuing respondents remains representative of its target population. Depending on the intended analysis, different survey weights may be appropriate. CONCLUSION: The PATH Study data are a valuable resource for regulatory scientists interested in longitudinal analysis of tobacco use and its effects on health. The availability of multiple sets of specialized survey weights enables researchers to target a wide range of tobacco-related analytic questions.