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5. Tobacco-related school curriculum
hese questions measure student perception of tobacco-use prevention education. Schools are an ideal setting in which to provide tobacco-use prevention education.
School-based tobacco prevention education programmes that focus on skills train- ing have proven effective in reducing the onset of smoking. he questions under this
topic look at: • What young people are taught in school about tobacco
• Young people’s perceptions of their school’s programmes to prevent cigarette use
6. Environmental tobacco smoke ETS
hese questions measure exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke or environmen- tal tobacco smoke ETS. Since ETS is a significant risk factor for lung cancer, heart
disease, asthma exacerbation and induction, respiratory infections, and adverse repro- ductive outcomes, it is important to assess exposure in youth. he questions in this
section measure exposure during the past seven days and assess general knowledge or attitude about the harmful effects of ETS, including:
• he extent of young people’s exposure to smoking at home and in public places • Young people’s perceptions of the harmful effects of ETS
7. Cessation of cigarette smoking
Many smokers, including youth, are addicted to nicotine and need assistance in quitting. Recently, there has been an increased demand for cessation programmes
for youth. A primary reason for this increased demand is the recognition that many young tobacco users are interested in quitting and that they frequently try to quit but
are mostly unsuccessful. To monitor the potential impact of tobacco control policies and diversion and cessation programmes it is important to measure:
• he short- and long-term likelihood that young cigarette smokers will quit GYTSsampleselection
he quality and usefulness of results from the GYTS depends largely on the proce- dures used to select the participating schools, classes sections and students. Because
surveying every student is impossible, impractical and unnecessary, a sample of the
population is selected. he results from a good sample can be generalized to the entire student population from which the sample is drawn. he results from a poor sample
only refer to students who participate. he following describes the two-stage sample design used for the GYTS:
STAGE 1: Selection of schools
he target population for the GYTS is youth in grades associated with ages 13–15 years. Each country compiles a list of schools, which include grades forms, levels,
secondaryies, or standards associated with these ages. he schools are selected with probability proportional to enrolment size PPE. his means that large schools are
more likely to be selected than small schools. he number of schools to select is dependent on both statistical and practical con-
siderations. Statistically, the number of schools selected can affect the precision of the
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estimates. Given the same sample size of students, selecting a large number of schools, generally, yields more precise estimates than a sample of fewer schools. With the larg-
er number of schools the average number of students selected per school is reduced, thus reducing the school “cluster” effect.
Most countries implementing the GYTS select 25, 50 or 100 schools, depending on the statistical precision required, time frame for the fieldwork, and resources avail-
able for conducting the survey.
STAGE 2: Selection of classes sections and students
Classes sections are randomly chosen from the selected schools. All students in the selected classes sections are eligible for participation in the survey. he number of
students interviewed in most GYTS is between 1500 to 2000 students per sample site. Statistically a sample of 1500 students will yield representative estimates at a fair-
ly precise level ± 5 for any population enrolment size. Once the sample size is set, the following process is followed. For a student sample
of 1500 completed student interviews with an expected 80 student response rate, a sample of 1875 students is required. If 50 schools are selected at 80 participa-
tion, then 40 will agree to participate. hus, 187540 = 47 students on average will be selected per school. his probably means one or two classes sections per school.
Decreasing the number of schools to select will require selection of more classes per school. Increasing the sample size of students has the same effect of increasing the
number of classes per school. Conductingthesurvey:practicalconsiderations
1. Timing of the survey
he GYTS is now being conducted year-round in countries situated in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
• Determining the “best” time of year for conducting the GYTS will vary by coun- try, because the start and end dates for school differ.
• It is recommended that the GYTS be conducted during the middle of the morn- ing. he early part of the school day should be avoided because it could eliminate
those students who arrive at school late. Lunchtime should be avoided. Later times of the day become poorer choices as students may leave school early.
2. Manpower resources
Because fieldwork should last less than two months, the number of available field staff will help determine how many schools can be selected
3. Other resources
he larger the sample size, the greater the cost in terms of printing of questionnaires and other supplies
4. NO replacement or substitution is allowed for schools that do not agree to participate
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