Title: Ontario tobacco survey: baseline data 2005-2008

Series title: Ontario tobacco survey

Principal investigator(s): Bondy, Susan J. University of Toronto

Principal investigator(s): Brown, K. Stephen, University of Waterloo

Principal investigator(s): Cohen, Joanna E., University of Toronto

Principal investigator(s): Ferrence, Roberta, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Principal investigator(s): Garcia, John, Cancer Care Ontario

Principal investigator(s): McDonald, Paul W., University of Waterloo

Principal investigator(s): Schwartz, Robert, University of Toronto

Principal investigator(s): Selby, Peter, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Principal investigator(s): Stephens, Thomas, Thomas Stephens & Associates

Producer: Toronto, ON: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU)

Date of creation: 2010-09-20

Funding agency: Toronto, ON: Ontario. Ministry of Health Promotion

Collector: Waterloo, ON: University of Waterloo. Survey Research Centre (SRC)

Depositor: Toronto, ON: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU)

Distributor:

Date of distribution: 2010-09-25

Access conditions/restrictions: Prospective users must apply for access to the data to OTRU. See OTS information and guidelines for data use and OTS data use agreement

Summary: The Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS) is a provincial longitudinal survey of smokers and a cross-sectional survey of non-smokers. It was undertaken to evaluate and inform the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy and to gain a better understanding of the processes of, and influences on, smoking cessation and relapse.

The Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS) is a provincial longitudinal survey of adult smokers and crosssectional survey of non-smokers on smoking attitudes and behaviours. It was undertaken to evaluate and inform the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy and to gain a better understanding of the processes of, and influences on, smoking cessation and relapse. The OTS is a unique study as smokers are reinterviewed every six months for a minimum of three years. Baseline data collection for the OTS began in July 2005 and concluded in June 2008.

The OTS questionnaires focused on smoking behaviours, cessation and protection of Ontario adults from second-hand smoke (SHS). Baseline (cross-sectional) telephone interview scripts were programmed to include significantly more information from smokers than non-smokers. Both recent smokers and non-smokers were asked questions about their attitudes and beliefs regarding smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, exposure to tobacco industry marketing, mass media tobacco control campaigns aired in Ontario, and demographic information. For smokers (longitudinal participants), the baseline script also included detailed questions about their personal smoking behaviour and experience, including past quit attempts and quit intentions, as well as their lifetime exposure to smoking cessation aids and resources.

Keywords: smoking behaviour, smoking cessation, tobacco industry marketing, exposure to second-hand smoke

Geographic coverage: Ontario

Time period: 2005-2008

Periodicity: biannual

Date(s) of collection: 2005-07 to 2008-06

Universe: Ontario adults (18 years of age and over), stratified by region (Eastern, Greater Toronto Area, South Western, and Northern based on telephone area code) and smoking status (any smoking in the past six months)

Data type:

Sample: The sample is stratified into four regional strata defined by telephone area code (random digit dialing (RDD)). Oversampling of recent smokers was used in order to accommodate attrition in the longitudinal design. During each month of recruitment, quota sampling of recent smokers and

The OTS was originally designed to interview recent smokers at baseline and three follow-up interviews. In January 2008, the longitudinal study design was enhanced by doubling the number of follow-up interviews for consenting participants. non-smokers was maintained.

Unit of observation:

Mode of data collection: computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)

Citation: Bondy, Susan J. et al. Ontario tobacco survey: baseline data 2005-2008 [computer file]. Toronto, ON: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU) [producer and distributor], May 2010.

Extent of file: 1 data file (7,505 logical records) & accompanying documentation

Notes:

• Expansion weights (xwt2006 ) were produced for baseline respondents. Weights were calculated for each wave of data collection and according to the sample characteristics and completion rates for each wave respectively. For the purposes of the combined baseline dataset, all weights were recalibrated to sum to the 2006 census population.
• Number of variables: 216