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Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health

Study Activities

Thank you for participating in the PATH Study. You and thousands of others are a critical part of one of the most important national health studies ever conducted in the United States.

Once a year or every other year, an interviewer will contact you to collect information on topics that include your:

Age, sex, and education

Health conditions, including the use of medicines

Tobacco use

Additionally, the study will invite some participants to take part in other study activities.

Security

Your information is protected and kept private. Your responses are identified by a number only. That is, your responses will never be linked to your name, which is kept confidential. The researchers combine information from many participants and use the data solely in summary form for research purposes.

FAQs for Participation

Welcome to the PATH Study! Thank you for participating in one of the most important national health studies ever done in the United States.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is sponsoring an exciting national study on tobacco and health, called the PATH Study. This study includes people ages 12 and older, whether or not they use tobacco.

The study informs us about why and how people are using–or not using–different types of tobacco products (not just cigarettes) and how use may affect health. Because we want to know why people do not use tobacco products, including people who don’t use tobacco is critical. The PATH Study has interviewed about 49,000 people, making it one of the most important tobacco and health studies ever done in the United States.

The information we collect is for research purposes only. The study reports its findings for large groups of people across the U.S., not for individuals. For more information on how the study protects your privacy, see "How will you protect my privacy?" below.

The PATH Study selected your address by chance from a list of addresses. Then the study selected adults and/or youth by chance from the individuals in your household. Whether or not to participate is up to you. However, the study results will be much more complete and useful if you participate.

Every year or every other year, a PATH Study interviewer will call or visit you to verify contact information for you and any other members of your household who participated in the study. The interviewer will then schedule an appointment to interview those individuals. In some years, you may be asked to participate in other study activities.

We think you will find the PATH Study interesting, and you will be performing a valuable public service. Whether or not you use tobacco (not just cigarettes), you are an important part of what is learned about tobacco products and how they affect health. Your participation will help to improve the health of millions of people in the United States.

All the information you give to the PATH Study is kept private.

  • Your answers are never connected with your name.
  • We identify your answers by a number only.
  • Your name and contact information are kept separately from study data in secure computer files.

Yes. As a thank-you, each selected adult in the PATH Study will be offered $50 for completing an interview. In addition, some adults will be offered additional incentives for providing biological samples.

Each selected youth will be offered $35 for completing an interview. In addition, some youth will be offered additional incentives for providing biological samples. Youth also receive two community service hours for participating. Parents will be offered $15 for completing a brief interview about the youth.

The PATH Study interviewer can answer any questions you have about the study.

For more information, explore the PATH Study website . If you have any questions, please email PATH Study staff or call toll-free 1-888-311-1819, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and weekends 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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For general questions or comments, media inquiries, requests for materials, and/or technical comments or questions about the website, please fill out the form here and click the ‘Send Email’ button at the bottom. For details on the site’s use of this information, see Privacy/Disclaimer.

Additional information for researchers is available on the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program website. Among other information this includes how to access PATH Study data and details about the study design.

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 last updated: 1/3/2024 

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