PhenX: Vector measures for tobacco regulatory research

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• The PhenX Toolkit offers standardized measures for research.
• A project was initiated to develop specialized collections for tobacco regulatory research (TRR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe the process for selecting high-priority, low-burden consensus measures for the PhenX Toolkit TRR Vector specialty area.
• To expand the available measures for human subjects studies in tobacco regulatory research.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month process was undertaken to identify consensus measures.
• Consideration was given to self-reported, interviewer-administered, and observational measurements.
• Input from the research community was incorporated to justify measure inclusion.

Main Results:

• Thirteen tobacco industry-relevant measures were identified and included in the PhenX Toolkit.
• The selected measures primarily include interviewer-administered or self-reported assessments.
• Many Vector factors, unlike addiction or tobacco use, are newer and require further measure development.

Conclusions:

• The PhenX Toolkit TRR Vector specialty area now has a set of 13 standardized measures.
• Further refinement and validation are necessary for measures assessing tobacco retailer spatial distribution, retail environment, price promotions, and corporate social responsibility.