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National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79)

Cigarette Use

Three sets of cigarette use data are available for NLSY79 respondents:

  1. 1984 survey
    Data collected included:
    • Age at first use
    • Most recent use
    • Number of cigarettes smoked in the past 30 days

  2. 1992, 1994, 1998, 2008–2014, and 2018–2022 surveys
    Respondents provided information on:

    • Whether they had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime
    • The number of cigarettes smoked per day
    • The time elapsed (in months/years) since they last smoked daily

    Note: Until 2014, these questions were asked of all respondents. They were discontinued in 2016 but reinstated for all respondents in 2018. Beginning in 2020, these questions became part of the Health at Age 60 module and have since been administered exclusively to specific birth cohorts in 2020 and subsequent survey years.

  3. Pregnancy-related smoking (1983–1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1994–2018 surveys)
    Female respondents were asked about:
    • Smoking in the 12 months prior to pregnancy
    • The number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy
Comparison to Other NLS Surveys

Data were collected beginning in 1988 for NLSY79 children 10 years of age and older on age at first use and extent of use of cigarettes. A more extensive set of questions was asked of NLSY79 children once they became NLSY79 young adults.

In the NLSY97 round 1, all respondents were first asked whether they had ever smoked an entire cigarette; if so, they reported their age on the first occasion. In subsequent rounds, respondents were asked whether they had smoked a cigarette since the date of last interview, and if they had, frequency of use and the quantity of cigarettes smoked. Detailed information on cigarette use was gathered from the Mature Women in 1989 and from the Young Women in 1991 and 1993; these respondents also indicated whether they currently smoked in 1995-2003 surveys. Older Men provided retrospective smoking data in 1990. For more precise details about the content of each survey, consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide using the tabs above for more information.
Survey Instruments & Documentation Questions on cigarette use can be found in Section 14 of the 1984 questionnaire, in the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Self-Administered Drug Use Supplement, and in the "Fertility" section of the 1983-86, 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1994-2018 questionnaires.
Areas of Interest Variables from the 1984, 1992, 1994, and 1998 surveys can be found in the "Drugs" area of interest. The yearly "Birth Record xxxx" area of interest contains the cigarette use during pregnancy variables.