Problem/Objective: The quality of the data recorded in public health surveillance systems affects the quality of public health actions and policy decisions derived from the data. External validity of surveillance data can be assured if its results hold across different experimental settings and participants. Since surveillance and evaluation functions in comprehensive tobacco control programs depend primarily on data collected by the Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS) and the Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS), ensuring external validity of its findings enables the program to make informed public health decisions that affect the overall state population.

Methods: State YRBS and YTS employ similar methods of sample selection, data collection, consent procedures, implementation, and data analysis strategies. The two surveys include similar core tobacco use-related questions with exact wording and response categories. In 2005, data for the Arkansas YRBS and YTS were collected simultaneously and the sampling procedure was coordinated so that two nonoverlapping samples of high schools were selected for each survey. Eight tobacco indicators in the YTS and YRBS were analyzed using identical analysis procedures to generate point estimates and its 95% confidence intervals. Differences between estimates were considered statistically significant at the p = 0.05 level if the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) did not overlap.

Results: Results of the compared indicators were found to be similar, as point estimates obtained from both surveys fell within the 95% CIs of each other.

Conclusions: Findings from the Arkansas 2005 YTS can reliably be generalized to the statewide student population in regular public middle and high schools.