Finding Needles in a Haystack: A Methodology for Identifying and Sampling Community-Based Youth Smoking Cessation Programs

Sherry Emery, Jungwha Lee, Susan J. Curry, Tim Johnson, Amy K. Sporer, Robin Mermelstein, Brian Flay and Richard Warnecke
Additional contact information
Sherry Emery: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, http://ihrp-web.ihrp.uic.edu
Jungwha Lee: Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Susan J. Curry: College of Public Health, University of Iowa
Tim Johnson: Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago
Amy K. Sporer: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
Robin Mermelstein: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
Brian Flay: College of Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University
Richard Warnecke: Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

Evaluation Review, 2010, vol. 34, issue 1, 35-51

Abstract: Background: Surveys of community-based programs are difficult to conduct when there is virtually no information about the number or locations of the programs of interest. This article describes the methodology used by the Helping Young Smokers Quit (HYSQ) initiative to identify and profile community-based youth smoking cessation programs in the absence of a defined sample frame. Methods: We developed a two-stage sampling design, with counties as the first-stage probability sampling units. The second stage used snowball sampling to saturation, to identify individuals who administered youth smoking cessation programs across three economic sectors in each county. Multivariate analyses modeled the relationship between program screening, eligibility, and response rates and economic sector and stratification criteria. Cumulative logit models analyzed the relationship between the number of contacts in a county and the number of programs screened, eligible, or profiled in a county. Results: The snowball process yielded 9,983 unique and traceable contacts. Urban and high-income counties yielded significantly more screened program administrators; urban counties produced significantly more eligible programs, but there was no significant association between the county characteristics and program response rate. There is a positive relationship between the number of informants initially located and the number of programs screened, eligible, and profiled in a county. Discussion: Our strategy to identify youth tobacco cessation programs could be used to create a sample frame for other nonprofit organizations that are difficult to identify due to a lack of existing directories, lists, or other traditional sample frames.

Keywords: community health promotion programs; program evaluation; youth smoking cessation; organizational research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:evarev:v:34:y:2010:i:1:p:35-51

DOI: 10.1177/0193841X09355258

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