Purpose of Survey
The goal of the 2007 Secondhand Smoke survey was to gather information from residents of Portage County regarding their attitudes and behaviors toward indoor air quality. The Tobacco Free Coalition of Portage County was interested in obtaining data to measure community awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke, the community’s preference for smoke-free air standards in public places, and the community’s awareness of available cessation services for tobacco users interested in quitting. The Tobacco Free Coalition of Portage County will use the information to develop approaches to tobacco policy and education in Portage County and to monitor progress on local tobacco prevention and control goals and objectives.
Survey Methods
Between February 26, 2007 and March 15, 2007, a telephone survey was conducted with volunteers from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. A random sample of all county households with a telephone (26,476 total county households - U.S. Census Bureau, 2005) was obtained by contracting with Marketing Systems Group of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, a random digit dial service, to obtain a list of telephone numbers in Portage County. The list of numbers included unlisted telephone numbers, but did not include businesses. If the person who answered the phone was not at least 21 years of age, the surveyor asked to speak with someone in the household who met the age criterion. Respondents were also asked to verify that they lived within Portage County. With 398 surveys completed, we can be 95% confident that the survey results mirror those of the adult population of Portage County. Of the 398 completed surveys, 395 were used to tabulate results. Three of the completed surveys were determined to be unusable.
The survey questions were developed by the Coalition with assistance from an epidemiologist with the Northwoods Preparedness Consortium and an Outreach Specialist with the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center. The questions were based on a previous study conducted by the Coalition in 2002 and a review of similar surveys used to measure community attitudes and behaviors toward secondhand smoke. The survey consisted of 31 questions, including 7 demographic questions. The 2007 survey responses are compared with results from the survey conducted in 2002 throughout this report. The methodology used to conduct the 2007 survey mirrors that of the 2002 survey.
Need More Information?
For additional information on the 2007 Portage County Secondhand Smoke Survey, contact Bobbi Bradley at (715) 345-5958 or bradleyb@co.portage.wi.us.