Tracking youth tobacco usage involves collecting self-reported data on tobacco use from students through the Iowa Youth Survey (IYS).
This page provides general information about tobacco data and measures developed by the Iowa Public Health Tracking program. Contact us for more information about these data.
What is the source of the data?
The substance use data displayed here are collected through the Iowa Youth Survey (IYS). The IYS is Iowaβs long-running survey that is a near-census of 6th, 8th, and 11th grade students statewide. The IYS is administered every other year with students completing the survey online.
How does IYS collect data?
The IYS is conducted online with a questionnaire of approximately 210 questions.
What time period of data is available?
The Iowa Public Health Tracking portal displays tobacco data from the year 2012 through the most recent year of data available.
How are the measures calculated?
Incidence Rate (Per 100K): The incidence rate is the total number who reported positive to the survey question per 100,000 population.
Can I compare pre-2011 BRFSS data to post-2011 BRFSS data?
A comparison to IYS data not included here is not recommended. Analysis is done for each question to ensure that the question wording and response options were consistent across the reported time period. This is not the case for years not included here.
Where can I find more technical information about the data?
Contact us to learn more about Youth Tobacco data, or any of the measures displayed on the Iowa Public Health Tracking Portal.