Scott Crosse

Design and methods of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study

Background This paper describes the methods and conceptual framework for Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study data collection. The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is partnering with the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products to conduct the PATH Study under a contract with Westat. Methods The PATH Study is a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of 45 971 adults and youth in the USA, aged 12 years and older. Wave 1 was conducted from 12 September 2013 to 15 December 2014 using Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing to collect information on tobacco-use patterns, risk perceptions and attitudes towards current and newly emerging tobacco products, tobacco initiation, cessation, relapse behaviours and health outcomes. The PATH Studys design allows for the longitudinal assessment of patterns of use of a spectrum of tobacco products, including initiation, cessation, relapse and transitions between products, as well as factors associated with use patterns. Additionally, the PATH Study collects biospecimens from consenting adults aged 18 years and older and measures biomarkers of exposure and potential harm related to tobacco use. Conclusions The cumulative, population-based data generated over time by the PATH Study will contribute to the evidence base to inform FDAs regulatory mission under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and efforts to reduce the Nations burden of tobacco-related death and disease.

High-risk drinking among college fraternity members: A national perspective

Abstract. This survey, with its 85% response rate, provides an extensive profile of drinking behaviors and predictors of drinking among 3406 members of one national college fraternity, distributed across 98 chapters in 32 states. Multiple indexes of alcohol consumption measured frequency, quantity, estimated blood alcohol concentration levels (BACs), and related problems. Among all members, 97% were drinkers, 86% binge drinkers, and 64% frequent binge drinkers. On the basis of self-reports concerning the 4 weeks preceding the time of survey, the authors found that members drank on an average of 10.5 days and consumed an average of 81 drinks. Drinkers had an average BAC of 0.10, reaching at least 0.08 on an average of 6 days. These fraternity members appear to be heavier drinkers than previously studied fraternity samples, perhaps because they were more representative and forthright. All 6 preselected demographic attributes of members and 2 chapter characteristics were significantly related to the drinking behaviors and levels of risk, identifying possible targets for preventive interventions.

Examining the Effects of a National Alcohol-Free Fraternity Housing Policy

This investigation examined the effectiveness of an alcohol-free fraternity housing policy on the risky alcohol use of members of a national fraternity (N=718). Comparisons of members in chapters with fraternity housing (FH) and those in chapters without housing (NFH) over time revealed no policy-related effects on measures of alcohol use. Among FH members, comparisons of those who lived in fraternity housing and those who lived in other housing also found no effects. FH members reported that the policy was implemented moderately well; however, it may have shifted alcohol use from fraternity housing to other settings.Editors’ Strategic Implications: The results of this study will be of interest to national and local fraternity administrators, campus student affairs and dean of students offices, and substance use counselors in various settings. For fraternity and possibly other college student populations, an alcohol-free housing policy appears to be a strategy that does not work.

Kiosk Reporting Among Probationers in the United States

Kiosk reporting is one type of electronic reporting that reduces the need for a low-risk offender to meet face-to-face with a probation officer. Probationers are identified by the kiosk using biometric measures and are prompted to provide information they would typically discuss with a probation officer. Despite its use in a variety of contexts, little is known about kiosk reporting in practice. This research provides an overview of the use of kiosk reporting among probation agencies across the United States and examines the use of kiosk reporting from the perspective of probation officers.