Design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study

Abstract

Background This paper describes the methods and conceptual framework for Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study data collection. The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is partnering with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products to conduct the PATH Study under a contract with Westat. Methods The PATH Study is a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of 45 971 adults and youth in the USA, aged 12 years and older. Wave 1 was conducted from 12 September 2013 to 15 December 2014 using Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing to collect information on tobacco-use patterns, risk perceptions and attitudes towards current and newly emerging tobacco products, tobacco initiation, cessation, relapse behaviours and health outcomes. The PATH Study’s design allows for the longitudinal assessment of patterns of use of a spectrum of tobacco products, including initiation, cessation, relapse and transitions between products, as well as factors associated with use patterns. Additionally, the PATH Study collects biospecimens from consenting adults aged 18 years and older and measures biomarkers of exposure and potential harm related to tobacco use. Conclusions The cumulative, population-based data generated over time by the PATH Study will contribute to the evidence base to inform FDA’s regulatory mission under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and efforts to reduce the Nation’s burden of tobacco-related death and disease.

Flavour capsule cigarette use among US adult cigarette smokers

“…Missing data on age, gender, race and Hispanic ethnicity were logically assigned from household screener data, as described in the PATH Restricted Use File User’s Guide 13. Further details regarding the PATH Study design and methods are published elsewhere14 and on the PATH Study’s website (www.pathstudyinfo.nih.gov). Data were analysed in 2016–2017.…”

Misperceptions of harm among Natural American Spirit smokers: results from wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study (2013–2014)

“…Among households that were screened, the overall weighted response rate was 74.0% for the adult interview. Further details regarding the PATH Study design and methods are available elsewhere 22. This study used de-identified PATH Study data available from the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP) (http://goo.gl/sABEjv) PATH Restricted Use File (RUF) and was determined to be exempt as non-human research by Chesapeake IRB (Pro00015910).…”

Which cigarettes do Americans think are safer? A population-based analysis with wave 1 of the PATH study

“…This sample was composed of US adults who reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, currently smoking at least ‘some days’, reported their usual or last-smoked cigarette sub-brand and compared its harmfulness to other sub-brands in the 2013–2014 wave (wave 1) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health 6. Analysis was completed using the ‘restricted use file’ and was approved by the University of California, San Diego Institutional Review Board.…”