School of Public Health News

UMDNJ-School of Public Health Researchers Suspect Flaw in National Estimates on Youth Smoking and Drinking. Researchers at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health have uncovered a potentially serious error in the current government statistics that indicate a significant decrease in cigarette smoking, binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption among young adults. The discovery questions the accuracy of the current data and points to the need for changes in the way future surveys and public opinion polls are conducted.

“These statistics were based on random-digit-dialing telephone surveys, which only included households with landline telephones,” said Dr. Cristine Delnevo, an associate professor at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health. “But, since 2003, cell phone or wireless-only households have increased by 300 percent, and one out of every four 18 to 25 year olds – a group that is more likely to smoke cigarettes and binge drink – currently lives in a household without a traditional landline telephone.”

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Dr. Delnevo and her colleagues examined data gathered from 2001 through 2005 that was included in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). A prime source of state and national health data, BRFSS surveys historically have excluded cell-phone-only households. Among the researchers’ findings: (click here to read the entire article)

Press Release
Date: 01-28-08
Name: Jerry Carey
Phone: 856-566-6171
Email: careyge@umdnj.edu