Attachment G-3

2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey

A

Dear Principal/School Contact:

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We appreciate your school’s graciousness in hosting the 2012 NYTS. The survey is designed to collect comprehensive data on the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of middle and high school students (grades 6-12) with respect to tobacco use, intent to use, exposure to tobacco use, and exposure to tobacco marketing/advertising. When published, your school will receive a copy of the national results from the CDC.

Enclosed is a packet of materials for each participating teacher (whose names are listed on the enclosed Summary of School Arrangements Form). These packets contain: the Summary of School Arrangements Form, a sample survey booklet, instructions to be read when distributing permission forms, parental permission forms, survey fact sheet, reminder forms, and a Data Collection Checklist. If requested, parental permission forms and reminders are provided in Spanish. We do not need to receive the completed parental permission forms. These remain at the school and, following the completion of the survey in your school, are to be maintained according to your school’s parental permission form policies and procedures.

We request that each teacher complete a Data Collection Checklist for his or her class before the day of the survey administration. Names or ID’s of all students in each selected class should be listed on this checklist, not just those participating in the survey. Names will be kept confidential and destroyed after the completion of data collection. The names are needed to take roll, make sure students not in the selected class do not “slip in,” identify students eligible to complete the survey (i.e., returned parental permission form with “yes” response), develop make-up lists of eligible students who are absent, and determine the gender and grade of all nonparticipants.

Your support and encouragement will help to ensure a high rate of participation among your students. A high participation rate is needed to produce valid national data. We ask that you:

1. Distribute the packets to each participating teacher. Ask them to distribute the parental permission forms at least 10 days before survey administration and encourage their students to return the forms.

2. Please check with teachers a few days prior to the survey administration to make sure parental permission forms have been distributed and student participation encouraged. Please ask them to distribute reminders and/or additional permission forms as needed.

3. Identify someone within the school to whom participating teachers may refer students, in the unlikely event the survey raises questions about health risk behaviors. This person may be a guidance counselor, school nurse, or other person. Let the teachers know who this is, prior to the survey.

4. Complete the enclosed School Enrollment Form (tan form) and the School Award Form (white form). Please give them to the data collector on the day of the survey.

The participation of your students in the NYTS will help the CDC, educators, and public health officials assess and improve efforts to reduce tobacco use behaviors among adolescents throughout the Nation. If you have any questions, please call me toll-free at 1-800-675-9727 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. eastern time. Thank you again for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Kate Flint, Project Director

National Youth Tobacco Survey

ICF Macro * 11785 Beltsville Drive, Suite #300 * Calverton, Maryland 20705 * 800-675-9727 * 301-572-0986 (fax)