Sustainably Monitoring Tobacco Use Through the Tobacco Questions for Surveys Global Initiative

The Tobacco Questions for Surveys (TQS) Global Initiative Promotes the Integration of TQS into Surveys

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC Foundation have launched the TQS Global Initiative—a standardized set of survey questions to:

• Publicize TQS.

• Promote TQS for inclusion in surveys.

• Provide technical assistance as requested.

• Provide funding for TQS inclusion (on a case-by-case basis).

• Track the use of TQS globally.

The TQS Global Initiative aims to include partnerships with international surveillance systems, research organizations (e.g. statistical agencies) and countries (e.g. ministries of health) that all share the same interest in incorporating and promoting TQS.

The TQS Global Initiative achieved its target goal to implement TQS in 70 countries by the end of 2016.

TQS partnerships

The following are examples of sustainable monitoring of tobacco use through TQS partnerships:

• Partnering with the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC): SESRIC successfully promoted the inclusion of TQS questions into several surveys conducted by the national statistical organizations of various Islamic countries.

• Integrating TQS into WHO's STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) system: The STEPS multi-risk factor surveillance system included TQS questions in its core questionnaire and optional policy module. Through this integration and partnership, over 40 countries have conducted the STEPS survey with TQS questions.

• Integrating TQS into Brazil's National Health Survey, Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (PNS), to measure trends in tobacco use: In 2008, GATS was conducted in Brazil. Also, TQS questions were integrated into the PNS in 2013 to measure change over time. The TQS implementation experience and comparison results will be presented in the future.

• Sustainably monitoring tobacco control in Turkey: GATS was conducted in Turkey in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Also, in 2008 TQS questions were integrated into the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)—which is administered every two years. This integration provides ongoing data on tobacco use and serves as a successful model for sustainably monitoring tobacco use.

 

TQS implementation 2008-2016