School Invitation Letter

2024 NATIONAL YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY

Dear Principal:

Your school has been selected to participate in the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NYTS, which has been conducted since 1999, provides important information about students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards tobacco, their exposure to secondhand smoke, and their exposure to influences that promote or discourage tobacco use.

Preventing tobacco product use among youth is critical to ending the tobacco epidemic in the United States. Youth use of tobacco products in any form is unsafe. The Surgeon General has written that while considerable progress has been made in reducing cigarette smoking among U.S. youth, the tobacco product landscape continues to evolve to include a variety of new types of products, including electronic vapor products such as e-cigarettes. These products typically contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, can harm the developing adolescent brain, and can prime the brain for addiction to other drugs.

The NYTS has increased the ability to measure changes in tobacco use behaviors and their influences, thereby enabling states, school districts, schools, and community organizations to adapt their prevention and control programs to combat the most prevailing issues at hand.

We will ask your school to administer the NYTS to a sample of your classes in grades 6 through 12. The online survey can be completed from any internet-connected device and typically takes about 20 minutes. Your school can choose the day that is most convenient to administer the survey (between 1/18/24 and 5/30/24). NYTS staff will prepare parent permission materials and assist your School Coordinator with planning and preparation. It is extremely important to have the participation of all schools sampled for this survey. Otherwise, it is not possible to accurately capture youth tobacco use in the U.S. Your participation will ensure that students from a broad variety of backgrounds and educational settings are represented.

As a symbol of appreciation for contributing their time and support, the CDC will provide each participating school with a monetary award. Schools might decide to use these funds for prevention curriculum and educational materials. However, no restrictions will be placed on how schools can use these funds. Participating schools will also receive an invitation to a webinar discussing the results of the 2024 NYTS.

Next steps:

1. Determine survey date between January and May.

2. Name a “School Coordinator” to work with our team to plan and prepare for NYTS.

If you have questions, please contact the NYTS Team at NYTS@rti.org or 866-354-0987. We will reach out to you soon and look forward to working with you on this important survey.

Sincerely,

Jean Lennon

Project Director

National Youth Tobacco Survey