This is a source dataset for a Let's Get Healthy California indicator at https://letsgethealthy.ca.gov/. The California Tobacco Control Program coordinates statewide tobacco control efforts and funds the California Student Tobacco Survey (CSTS). The data table shows the current smoking prevalence from 2001-2002 to 2015-2016 for California high school youth by selected demographics. Current cigarette smoking was defined as having smoked on one or more days during the past 30 days prior to the survey. In statistics, a confidence interval is a measure of the reliability of an estimate. It is a type of interval estimate of a population parameter. The CSTS is a large-scale biennial survey, in-school student survey administered to middle (grades 8) and high school (grades 10 and 12) students. Topics of the survey include awareness of and use of different tobacco products; history and patterns of tobacco use; tobacco purchasing patterns; knowledge and participation in school tobacco prevention or cessation programs; perceptions of tobacco use (i.e. social norms); awareness of advertising; and susceptibility to future tobacco use.

This is a source dataset for a Let's Get Healthy California indicator at https://letsgethealthy.ca.gov/. Adult smoking prevalence in California, males and females aged 18+, starting in 2012. Caution must be used when comparing the percentages of smokers over time as the definition of ‘current smoker’ was broadened in 1996, and the survey methods were changed in 2012. Current cigarette smoking is defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in lifetime and now smoking every day or some days. Due to the methodology change in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend not conducting analyses where estimates from 1984 – 2011 are compared with analyses using the new methodology, beginning in 2012. This includes analyses examining trends and changes over time. (For more information, please see the narrative description.) The California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an on-going telephone survey of randomly selected adults, which collects information on a wide variety of health-related behaviors and preventive health practices related to the leading causes of death and disability such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and injuries. Data are collected monthly from a random sample of the California population aged 18 years and older. The BRFSS is conducted by Public Health Survey Research Program of California State University, Sacramento under contract from CDPH. The survey has been conducted since 1984 by the California Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2012, the survey methodology of the California BRFSS changed significantly so that the survey would be more representative of the general population. Several changes were implemented: 1) the survey became dual-frame, with both cell and landline random-digit dial components, 2) residents of college housing were eligible to complete the BRFSS, and 3) raking or iterative proportional fitting was used to calculate the survey weights. Due to these changes, estimates from 1984 – 2011 are not comparable to estimates from 2012 and beyond. Center for Disease Control and Policy (CDC) and recommend not conducting analyses where estimates from 1984 – 2011 are compared with analyses using the new methodology, beginning in 2012. This includes analyses examining trends and changes over time.Current cigarette smoking was defined as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in lifetime and now smoking every day or some days. Prior to 1996, the definition of current cigarettes smoking was having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in lifetime and smoking now.

1999-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. YTS Data. The YTS was developed to provide states with comprehensive data on both middle school and high school students regarding tobacco use, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, smoking cessation, school curriculum, minors' ability to purchase or otherwise obtain tobacco products, knowledge and attitudes about tobacco, and familiarity with pro-tobacco and anti-tobacco media messages. The YTS uses a two-stage cluster sample design to produce representative samples of students in middle schools (grades 6–8) and high schools (grades 9–12). The data for the STATE System were extracted from Youth Tobacco Surveys from participating states. Tobacco topics included are cigarette smoking prevalence, cigarette smoking frequency, smokeless tobacco products prevalence and quit attempts.

1996-2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. BRFSS Survey Data. The BRFSS is a continuous, state-based surveillance system that collects information about modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases and other leading causes of death. The data for the STATE System were extracted from the annual BRFSS surveys from participating states. Tobacco topics included are cigarette smoking status, cigarette smoking prevalence by demographics, cigarette smoking frequency, and quit attempts. NOTE: these data are not to be compared with BRFSS data collected 2011 and forward, as the methodologies were changed. Please refer to the FAQs / Methodology sections for more details.

This spotlight uses 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine current cigarette use by age, particularly underage smokers.