Created variables
FP_YYSUBSI, FP_YYSUBSI_DLI. Indicates respondent's level of substance use, with scores ranging from 0 to 3; higher scores indicate more instances of substance use since the date of the last interview. The Substance Use Index was created by Child Trends, Inc. and is available for rounds 1-4. Questions that asked respondents if they ever smoked a cigarette or if they had smoked since the date of their last interview were used as part of the Substance Use Index. See the Codebook Supplement Appendix 9 for more information and statistical analysis.
Information on respondent's cigarette use was gathered in survey rounds 1-17.
In round 1, all respondents were first asked whether they had ever smoked an entire cigarette; if so, they reported their age at that time. Respondents who answered don't know or who refused to answer this retrospective question, continue to receive the question in later rounds until a valid answer is given. If a respondent answers affirmatively to having ever smoked a cigarette, but cannot or will not provide the age at which they first smoked, they continue to receive the age question in subsequent rounds.
In rounds 2 and up, respondents who have previously provided a valid answer to the question about having ever smoked a cigarette were asked whether they had smoked a cigarette since the date of last interview.
Additional data were then collected in rounds 1-17 on the number of days they smoked during the 30 days prior to the interview. In rounds 1-15, the respondents were then questioned about the number of cigarettes they usually had on the days they smoked during those 30 days.
In addition, information was collected in round 1 and round 6 regarding the respondent's perception of the effects of smoking on various health conditions; details can be found in Health: Conditions & Practices.
| Comparison to Other NLS Surveys | Select survey years of the NLSY79 have included questions on the quantity and frequency of cigarette use. Children of the NLSY79 age 10 and older (including the Young Adults) have provided this information regularly starting with the 1988 survey. Detailed information on cigarette use was gathered from the Mature Women in 1989 and from the Young Women in select years. Older Men provided retrospective smoking data in 1990. Consult the appropriate cohort's User's Guide for further details. |
|---|---|
| Survey Instruments | Questions on cigarette use are found in the self-administered section (question names begin with YSAQ) of the Youth Questionnaire. |
| Related User's Guide Sections | Alcohol Use Drug Use Health: Conditions & Practices |
| Main Area of Interest | Substance Use Family Process Measures |
| Supplemental Areas of Interest | Health |