Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors Survey Dataset Details
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The Colorado Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (TABS) is a two-wave surveillance study providing detailed information regarding adult and youth tobacco use, attitudes towards tobacco-related issues, and changes over time. In CoHID, only data from the adult survey are reported. Detailed reports presenting state-level adult and youth TABS data are available at http://steppcolorado.com/internal2_3.aspx?appl=Evaluation.
Adult TABS was first conducted in 2001 and repeated in 2005. The survey was funded in 2001 by tobacco litigation settlement proceeds, and in 2005 by a voter-approved tobacco tax increase. The purpose of TABS is to support implementation and evaluation of tobacco use prevention and reduction programs in Colorado.
The TABS adult questionnaire is based on the California Tobacco Survey and the tobacco-related questions of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additional questions are developed before each survey wave to ensure that interviews address all major issues of current interest.
The TABS survey of adults collects information from people 18 years of age and older who speak English or Spanish and reside in a household with a telephone. In both years the sample was designed to include extra interviews with smokers and former smokers, African American adults, and adults living in certain parts of the state. This "oversampling" allowed for more accurate analysis of these groups. The total number of interviews was 13,006 in 2001 and 12,257 in 2005.
TABS variables reported in CoHID are defined below.
Current smokers: adults who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives and report currently smoking daily or some days.
Former smokers: adults who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives and report currently not smoking at all.
Cigarettes smoked per day per current smoker: the average number of cigarettes that current daily smokers report smoking each day. One pack of cigarettes equals 20 cigarettes.
Current smokers who have cut down: current adult smokers who report that at some time in the past they smoked more cigarettes per day than they do now. The denominator is current smokers.
Current smokeless tobacco users: adults who have used smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff) at least 20 times in their lives and currently use smokeless tobacco on some days or every day.
Current smokers who made at least one attempt to quit smoking in the last 12 months: current smokers who report that in the last 12 months they quit smoking for 24 hours or more. The denominator is comprised of current smokers.
Smokers who, in the last 12 months, were advised to quit smoking by a physician: current smokers who saw a doctor in the last 12 months and were advised by a doctor to stop smoking. The denominator is comprised of current smokers who saw a doctor in the last 12 months.
Smoke-free home rules: adults who report that smoking is not allowed inside their home.
Smoke-free vehicle rules: adults who report that smoking is not allowed inside their personal vehicle.
For TABS questions reported on CoHID, county-level data are available when the sample size includes at least 25 total respondents. The sample size for some rural counties in Colorado in 2001 and 2005 were too small to present a reliable estimate. For measures that are reliable in a county in both years, comparison is possible between the years. Individual county reports have been prepared that provide estimates and comparisons during 2001-2005 that are ‘standardized’ or adjusted for differences in age, sex, and ethnicity in the county between years and are accessible at http://steppcolorado.com/internal2_3.aspx?appl=Evaluation. Estimates in CoHID provide unstandardized estimates (not adjusted for differences in age, sex, and ethnicity in the county during 2001-2005) and so will be slightly different than the estimates found in the individual reports.
The chance of being selected for an interview varied among individuals in the TABS sample, and the distribution of some demographic characteristics are not the same for respondents in the sample as compared to the general adult population (for example, the sample contains a smaller proportion of men). The unequal chance of selection requires the use of weights for the sample to represent the Colorado adult population. Population-based estimates from TABS are produced by weighting the data to adjust for differences in the probability of selection, nonresponse, and noncoverage.
Although 12,000- 13,000 adults in Colorado completed the TABS survey per survey year, a relatively low number of surveys were completed in some smaller counties and regions in the state. Estimates are not provided for counties or regions with fewer than 25 total respondents for any given question.
The TABS prevalence estimates reported on CoHID estimate the percent of the Colorado adult population who exhibit certain behaviors or attitudes (e.g., 17.3% of Colorado adults were current smokers in 2005). Since the estimates are based on a sample and not the entire population, there is some error associated with the estimate. Confidence intervals take this error into account and present a range in which the "true value" is like to fall (e.g., between 16.3% and 18.3% of Colorado adults were current smokers in 2005).
Interval width is influenced by both the degree of confidence sought (e.g., 95% versus 99% confidence) and the standard error of the estimate. A high degree of confidence (e.g., 99%) increases the interval width, as does a small sample size. Wide confidence intervals are associated with less reliable estimates and should be interpreted with caution.
Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment
Health Statistics Section
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, Colorado 80246-1530