Abstract:
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The National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) is a cross-sectional, school-based, self-administered, pencil-and-paper questionnaire administered to U.S. middle school and high school students. A three-stage cluster sampling procedure is used to generate a nationally representative sample of U.S. students attending public and private schools in grades 6-12. A probability based sample is used at each of the three stages: primary sampling units (a county, part of a county, or groups of small counties), schools, and classes. This paper presents the results of a review of the current NYTS sampling methodology, including a summary of potential refinements. The review assessed sampling design features such as sampling stages, sampling units, stratification, allocation, and subgroup sample sizes. Two identified areas for refinement include: 1) the ability to expand the sampling frame without negative impacts on school participation rates or the current budget; and 2) the feasibility of developing precise sub-national estimates by grade, sex, and race/ethnicity for middle and high school separately. These findings could help enhance the accuracy and utility of future waves of NYTS.
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