School Survey Q&A

Why are you conducting this study?

The initial school screener survey is being used to determine the prevalence of smoking among youth in the Chicago area based on the answers of nearly 15,000 9th and 10th graders from 15 suburban schools. From these 15,000 students, a number of students will be selected for the next phase of the study in which health habits will be followed over time.

How are students selected to participate?

All 9th and 10th grade students at participating schools are being asked to take this brief survey.

Will students miss school work or class to fill out this questionnaire?

No. We work closely with the administrators and teachers at each school and they have agreed to let us interact with students during normal class time (for about 25 minutes). Typically, questionnaires will be administered during health or physical education classes or during advisory periods. Since most students in the classes will be taking the survey, there will be no instruction during that time. Students who do not participate will be given an alternative activity (such as a crossword puzzle) to complete while other students complete the survey.

Who will see individual survey information?

All information provided by participants is kept completely confidential. Access to survey data is limited to authorized project staff, so no one else, including staff from the students’ schools, will have access to this information. Since we are interested in behaviors of teenagers in general, our team looks at the behaviors of the group as a whole. Any information that identifies individuals will not be released or published. Responses from the 15,000 surveys, coded with the ID number only, will be entered into a database for analysis by our staff.

Will the smoking status of any student be revealed?

No. Student responses will not be reported to anyone including school staff and family members. All information is strictly confidential. The school will receive a report on the prevalence of smoking at their school based on the responses of all students as a group--but no individual names or information will be provided.

Can participants take part in the initial survey phase and not be in the second part of the study?

Yes. Completing the in-class survey in no way obligates further participation. In fact, completing the initial survey does not guarantee that a student will be contacted about participating in the second phase of the study. If a student is eligible to participate in the second part of the study, he or she will receive additional information in approximately 4 to 8 weeks.