Chrome
Edge
Safari
Firefox
Español
A collaboration between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the study was launched in 2011 and started the first wave of data collection in 2013.
The PATH Study was one of the first tobacco projects that NIH and FDA have worked on together since Congress gave FDA authority to regulate tobacco products. The study looks at tobacco use and how it affects the health of people in the U.S.
Here is the latest PATH Study newsletter.
Audio described version of Study Overview Video
Reasons why some people use tobacco and others do not.
How and why people:
How people quit using tobacco.
Reasons why some people who quit using tobacco start using it again.
Changes in people’s attitudes toward tobacco over time.
Differences in tobacco-use related attitudes, behaviors, and health among:
Information from the PATH Study is helping NIH and FDA to understand tobacco use behaviors and how use affects health over time. Findings from the study inform FDA’s regulatory decisions and actions under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control ACT.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are leading the PATH Study.
NIH
FDA
They are working with Westat, a research company in Maryland that has expertise in survey design, questionnaire development, data collection, and analysis. Westat manages a team of partner organizations in conducting a variety of health studies.
Partner organizations involved in the PATH Study have expertise in tobacco research, including tobacco use behaviors, health conditions, and research methods. They also lead focused research studies to address the PATH Study’s objectives. The Principal Investigator of the PATH Study, Dr. Andrew Hyland, is located at one of the partner organizations, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other scientists participating in the PATH Study are also from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as from these organizations:
The PATH Study interviewers love their work. One of the best parts of their job is meeting and talking with you, our participants. Roll over the areas of the country and see what the interviewers have to say!
You can recognize our Field Interviewers by their distinctive PATH Study badge. Did you know that if you are contacted by someone who says they work on the PATH Study you can verify their identity? It is easy, just click on the “Verify My Field Interviewer” button below and we will check for you.
Verify My Field Interviewer
Enter the following information to verify your Field Interviewer. We will get back to you with a verification email within the next business day.
“I enjoy seeing my PATH Study families. There's no greater pleasure than being welcomed into their homes with open arms. When I see how much our youth participants have grown both mentally and physically it brings great joy to my heart. I really look forward to seeing my PATH Study families!”
“I think most people participate because they know that they are contributing to something that is going to benefit and help future generations.”
“Their opinion is important to the success of the study. Without their input the study will not be as successful since we cannot substitute another person for them. Our participants were chosen and they have a direct voice for change. That in itself is amazing, especially when only 49,000 persons are chosen to do this study out of 330 million people in America.”
“I believe most participants have primarily responded positively to how seriously the science is presented, and the timeliness of the research. Nearly as important, is that the PATH Study is more flexible, than other volunteer opportunities.”
Overview
Objectives
Team
Home
About the Study
Participants
Researchers
Contact Us