Health Habits Q&A

Why are you conducting this study?

The goal of the study is to understand why some teens start to smoke and continue smoking, while others try smoking and stop, or decide not to try smoking at all. The information collected from these studies will be useful in designing more effective smoking prevention and smoking cessation programs for adolescents and young adults.

How are students selected for participation?

Students will be selected at random from the larger group of students who complete the initial school survey.

How many students and schools will be participating?

Approximately 1,400 9th and 10th graders from 15 high schools in the Chicago metropolitan area will participate.

How much will I be paid for participating?

For completing the questionnaires and interviews, teens receive $20 for each of the first three, $40 for the fourth, and $10 for the fifth brief questionnaire. One parent will be paid $20 for completing the parent questionnaire. Teens and parents can discontinue participation in the study at any time, but will be paid only for the questionnaires and interviews that have been completed.

Does each participant take part in all of the projects?

All participants are asked to complete the Heath Habits Questionnaires and Interviews. 30% of students will be asked to participate in the Electronic Diary project, 30% in the Family Talk project, and 15% in the Smoking & Emotions project.

Who will have access to individual responses on questionnaires and interviews?

All information provided by participants is kept completely confidential. All completed questionnaires and interviews are stored in locked cabinets. Only authorized project staff have access to them. In addition, we issue ID numbers to mark these materials instead of using participants’ names. The only people who can match the names to the ID numbers are members of our research team. No one else will be able to connect an individual participant with his/her responses on the questionnaires or interviews. Not even parents can find out about a teen's responses.

What if I don't want to participate anymore?

You can stop at any time, but you will only be paid for the parts of the study that you have completed.

Can students participate if they do not live with either of their parents?

Yes. Permission from a legal guardian is required, and the legal guardian would be asked to complete the parent questionnaire.

What if a student switches high schools or moves?

If you remain in the Chicago Metropolitan area, you can continue being involved in the study. Research staff will arrange meeting places, such as your public library, to drop off completed questionnaires and complete interviews. If you move outside of the Chicago Metropolitan area, you can continue the questionnaire portion of the study by mail.

Can I be sent the results of this study when the study is finished?

Yes, if you request the results, we will provide copies of our major findings after the data are analyzed. Information will be compiled for the entire study group—no individual information will ever be shared.

Are there considerations for non-English speaking parents?

Several Health Connections staff members are fluent in languages other than English. Please call our hotline at 1-866-413-8824 to discuss the possibility of participating.

Who is leading this project?

Dr. Robin Mermelstein is the principal investigator and Dr. Kathleen Diviak is the project director for the Health Habits piece of the Health Connections study.