ABOUT GTSS
The Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) is the largest surveillance system in the world. GTSS comprises four active components: The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS) and Tobacco Questions for Surveys of Youth (TQS-Youth).
TQS Initiative
Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS) and Tobacco Questions for Surveys of Youth (TQS-Youth) provide standardized tobacco questions for integration into other existing surveys for continuous surveillance and/or when it is not feasible for countries to conduct GATS or GYTS.
TQS is a list of 22 survey questions taken from the GATS core questionnaire and TQS-Youth is a list of 21 survey questions from the GYTS core questionnaire that can be integrated into surveys to promote data comparability within and across countries over time. These questions can be included in any survey (e.g., health or social surveys) to get a comprehensive picture of tobacco control in any population of interest. The integration of TQS and TQS-Youth is intended to enhance the capacity of countries to design, implement and evaluate tobacco control interventions outlined in the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) through the MPOWER policy package.
To learn more about TQS and TQS-Youth questions and how they can be included into a survey, view tools and resources.
TQS
PURPOSE
When monitoring tobacco use, a standard set of questions should be implemented across various surveys to maintain consistency and comparability. Given this important need, TQS was produced to harmonize and standardize the monitoring of key tobacco control indicators among adults.
PARTICIPANTS
The questions in the TQS booklet have been developed for and tested in survey populations aged 15 years or older.
QUESTIONNAIRE
TQS is a list of 22 survey questions, grouped by MPOWER classification theme.
TQS-Youth
PURPOSE
When monitoring tobacco use, a standard set of questions should be implemented across various surveys to maintain consistency and comparability. Given this important need, TQS-Youth was produced to harmonize and standardize the monitoring of key tobacco control indicators among youth.
PARTICIPANTS
The questions in the TQS-Youth booklet have been developed for and tested in survey populations aged 13 to 15 years, but can be administered to youth outside of this age range (e.g., 12 to 17 years).
QUESTIONNAIRE
TQS-Youth is a list of 21 survey questions that assesses key aspects of youth tobacco use surveillance.
What TQS measures:
MONITOR: TOBACCO SMOKING PREVALENCE
Questions 1, 2a and 2b measure tobacco smoking prevalence. These questions are the highest priority measures and should be included in all surveys that measure tobacco use. The indicators measured include current tobacco smokers, current daily tobacco smokers, former daily tobacco smokers and former daily tobacco smokers.
MONITOR: TOBACCO SMOKING CONSUMPTION
Question 3 asks about the amount of tobacco smoked by current smokers. This question measures usage of cigarettes and other specific tobacco products.
MONITOR: SMOKELESS TOBACCO USE
Questions 4, 5a and 5b measure the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use.
PROTECT: EXPOSURE TO SECONDHAND SMOKE
Questions 6-9 measure secondhand smoke exposure in the home and in the workplace.
OFFER: CESSATION
Questions 10-12 measure two concepts: (1) attempt of current smokers to quit; and (2) receiving advice from healthcare providers to quit.
WARN: ANTI-CIGARETTE INFORMATION
Questions 13-16 measure four concepts: (1) awareness of anti-cigarette information in newspapers and magazines; (2) awareness of anti-cigarette information in television; (3) noticing health warnings on cigarette packs; and (4) current smokers thinking about quitting because of the health warnings on cigarette packs.
ENFORCE: CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS
Questions 17-18 measure respondents’ exposure to cigarette advertising in stores and various cigarette promotions.
RAISE: ECONOMICS
Questions 19-20 are used with cigarette consumption data in Question 3a to create economic indicators, including the average cost of a pack of manufactured cigarettes and cigarette affordability.
What TQS-Youth measures:
TOBACCO USE
Questions 1-5 measure tobacco use prevalence. The indicators measured include ever cigarette smoking, age at cigarette smoking initiation, current tobacco smokers, current cigarette smokers, frequent cigarette smokers, current smokers of other products, current smokeless tobacco users and current tobacco users.
CESSATION
Questions 6 and 7 measure two concepts: (1) attempt of current smokers to quit; and (2) receiving advice from a program or professional to quit.
SECONDHAND SMOKE
Questions 8-10 measure secondhand smoke exposure in the home, public places and school.
ACCESSIBILITY
Questions 11 and 12 measure two concepts: (1) minors’ access to purchasing cigarettes; and (2) unit of purchased cigarettes.
ANTI-TOBACCO INFORMATION
Questions 13-15 asks about noticing any anti-tobacco messages in the media, noticing health warnings on cigarette packs, thinking of quitting because of health warnings on cigarette packs, thinking of not starting smoking because of health warnings on cigarette packs and learning about the dangers of tobacco use at school.
TOBACCO ADVERTISING & PROMOTION
Questions 16-18 measure three concepts: (1) awareness of tobacco marketing at points of sale; (2) ownership of an object with a tobacco brand logo; and (3) exposure to free tobacco promotion.
E-CIGARETTES
Questions 19-21 measure respondents’ awareness and use of electronic cigarettes.