Crossing the Finish Line of ECTC Wave 3
As we race toward the end of June, California's local lead agencies are crossing the finish line of Wave 3 of ECTC data collection. We at TCEC have been excited to see all the Retail, MUH, Park, and Sidewalk data coming in!
Congratulations, and a huge thanks to all the LLAs and local data collection teams for your amazing efforts in collecting Wave 3 of the ECTC observations!
What is ECTC data collection?
ECTC stands for End Commercial Tobacco Campaign. According to the California Department of Public Health, the End Commercial Tobacco Campaign "aims to build a movement across California that prepares and transitions communities to end the tobacco epidemic." And it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that TCEC thinks collecting data is an essential part of this!
A key component of this campaign requires all LLAs to participate in a statewide, coordinated effort to gather standardized observation data at various locations depending on an LLA’s ECTC policy goals: 2.2.13 Smokefree Multi-Unity Housing, 2.2.35 Comprehensive Smokefree Outdoor Public Places, 2.2.29 Eliminate Tobacco Product Sales to Address Tobacco Waste, 3.2.17 No Sale of Commercial Tobacco, 3.2.1 Tobacco Retail Licensing, 3.2.2 Tobacco Retailer Density Reduction, among others.
What does this mean? Local staff gather LOTS of retail and outdoor secondhand smoke observation data in a very specific way at a very specific time. This undertaking is a huge amount of work, and many people devote immense time and energy to completing it.
What was new in Wave 3?
LLAs completed the first wave of observations in their primary ECTC communities in 2022, and completed Wave 2 in 2024.
For 2026, we had one major change: A new survey platform! After our transition to Harvest Your Data at the end of 2025, all ECTC surveys were collected on iSURVEY/droidSURVEY. The TCEC team worked together to move the surveys to the new platform, test them to ensure they still worked as intended for data collectors, and provide guidance to the LLAs on setting up their devices and getting them ready for the observations.
While it certainly took some extra time and effort, we're very pleased to say that the new survey platform ran smoothly throughout Wave 3 data collection!
What can these data be used for?
This kind of statewide data collection is rare and provides invaluable insight into what is happening in our retail and outdoor secondhand smoking environments across the state, both an overview snapshot and up close and personal at the local level.
Local projects have used this data to respond to inquiries from the public and decision-makers, generate educational materials and media buzz, and, most importantly, to guide local project strategies and decisions.
These data have also been presented and shared in many formats, from national conferences to city council meetings, to justify the tobacco prevention work we do and demonstrate the progress we strive for. It can even be used to recruit supporters and community members to join your cause!
Thank you to our partners!
While many people have worked hard to pull off this statewide effort, a few went above and beyond this wave, so we want to recognize their efforts here.
First off, thank you to the ECTC workgroup members and pilot testers who helped develop these instruments. Thank you especially to Tam Vuong and the CTPP Evaluation and Surveillance Section for generating the sample lists!
And, of course, thank you to every LLA staff member and volunteer who worked with their TCEC contacts to make this wave of observations a success! Thank you for reading our emails, joining us during our monthly Q&A sessions, and sharing your tips and advice.
We love engaging with you all and exchanging ideas for how to do our work best. The TCEC Team is always here to help you in your evaluation efforts!