OSHS FAQ

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  • Are we supposed to pick up the tobacco litter? 
  • The short answer is no.  Data collectors should focus on answering the questions and following the protocol for the park or sidewalk observation survey. 

    However, if an LLA wants to add a tobacco product waste (TPW) cleanup to the same trip to the park or sidewalk, additional team members may need to join the clean up and it will likely add to the time it takes to be out in the field.  

    Please be sure to consult a TPW clean up guide.  The California Youth Advocacy Network created the Tobacco Product Waste Cleanup Guide designed for coordinators working with youth/young adults. 
  • Am I supposed to do the sidewalk observation next to the park?  

  • Not necessarily.  The sidewalks will be purposively chosen by the LLA and should be alongside beaches, parks, sidewalks, dining, entryways, worksites, event sites, bike lanes/paths, alleys, parking structures.  This is because indicator 2.2.35 includes so many different outdoor recreational and non-recreational public places.  If your LLA is mainly concerned about smokefree outdoor dining, then it is suggest to select sidewalks near places that offer outdoor dining.  If your LLA is mainly concerned about smokefree beaches, then it is suggest to select sidewalks near beach areas.  LLAs that choses indicator 2.2.35 in their End Commercial Tobacco Campaign objectives will complete both the park and sidewalk observation surveys.  

  • What if the park you're conducting the survey in does not have the required 3 amenities? 

  • If the park does not have an amenity that you were prompted to visit, then you can select the answer option, "No, the amenity is not there."  The survey will prompt you to move on to the next amenity.

    There are several amenities for you to visit to complete the observation.  If there are multiple places of the same amenity, select the amenity that is most likely to have TPW.  Spend no more than 1-2 minutes searching for the amenity.  You may want to find a site map or do an online search to get a general layout of the park.

  • Can we delete or edit any of the questions?  69 questions is a lot!
  • No, the survey cannot be edited and questions cannot be deleted.  Although there are 69 questions, there is skip logic built in which will likely make the survey shorter, especially for smaller locations.  For example, if the park does not have a playground or athletic court, then the questions about the playground and athletic court are skipped.  
  • How does the sampling work?
  • CTCP has sent each LLA Lead Contact their list of locations (retail, parks, and MUH properties).  In the email with the list of locations, there was also a pdf explaining CTCP's sampling process.  If you did not receive this list by now, please email your TCEC Contact.

    For retail and park observation, the sample was defined by CTCP.  CTCP gave each LLA their list of stores with unique store IDs and parks with unique park IDs.  The LLA must attempt to complete the observation for all stores and all parks on their lists using the unique IDs provided by CTCP.  If a store or park cannot be observed (e.g. if it closed down, cannot be found, asked to leave, etc.), a replacement store or park is NOT needed.

    Retailers that have active smoking (e.g., hookah bars, cigar bars), substantial cost-consideration and membership fees (e.g., airport retailers, wholesale clubs), or restricted access (e.g., military base) should NOT be surveyed.  Complete the survey up to question 5 and indicate why it cannot be surveyed.  If the store has an age restriction i.e. only 21+ or only 18+ may enter, then a data collector that meets those requirements must conduct the observation in those stores.

    For sidewalk observations, the sample will be purposively chosen by the LLA.  Sidewalks should be chosen based on the LLA's focus, i.e. smoke free beaches, parks, sidewalks, dining, entryways, worksites, event sites, bike lanes/paths, alleys, parking structures.  This is because indicator 2.2.35 includes so many different outdoor recreational and non-recreational public places.  If your LLA is mainly concerned about smokefree outdoor dining, then it is suggest to select sidewalks near places that offer outdoor dining.  If your LLA is mainly concerned about smokefree beaches, then it is suggest to select sidewalks near beach areas.  Another important strategy may be to select sidewalks in neighborhoods or areas where there is a high proportion of priority population communities.

    At a minimum, one sidewalk will be observed per park sampled. Sidewalks can be anywhere in the jurisdiction. LLAs that have 20 or more parks will only be required to select a minimum total of 20 sidewalks. For example, an LLA that is required to observe 10 parks must observe a minimum of 10 sidewalks; an LLA that is required to observe 50 parks must observe a minimum of 20 sidewalks.  

    LLAs that chose indicator 2.2.35 in their End Commercial Tobacco Campaign objectives will complete both the park and sidewalk observation surveys.  

 

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