About “Electronic Diary”

Some teens will be asked to help us learn how teenagers spend their time, who they spend time with, and what their moods are like. We also want to learn when teens smoke or decide not to smoke. This is the Electronic Diary part of the project.

About 450 teens will participate in the “Electronic Diary” piece. This piece involves carrying a hand-held palm pilot computer or Electronic Diary (“ED”) for 7 days in a row. The ED beeps participants to answer a series of questions on the ED throughout the day. The questions take about 90 seconds to answer. Teens also answer questions on the ED if they smoke a cigarette or decide not to smoke. Teens will carry the ED on four separate weeks over a two-year period.