Data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study are available for use by researchers wanting to explore their own study questions. This includes both publicly available files that can be downloaded and analyzed on any computer and restricted-access files that researchers can apply to access on a secure server. Data and documentation (questionnaires, codebooks) related to the PATH Study are available at the study website at the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP), including instructions for access to restricted- and public-use files. Available file types include Questionnaire Public-use Files (PUFs), Questionnaire Restricted-use Files (RUFs), Biomarker Restricted-use Files (BRUFs), State Identifier Restricted-use Files (SIRUFs), Tobacco Universal Product Code (TUPCRUF) Data, Special Collection Public-use Files (SCPUFs), and Special Collection Restricted-use Files (SCRUFs). Data from new waves are released as they become available.
New Biomarker Data Available for Wave 7
NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse and FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products are announcing the release of the Wave 7 Biomarker Restricted-Use File (BRUF) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. This release is the first to include biomarker data from Wave 7, which were collected between January 2022 and April 2023. Researchers may apply for access to the Biomarker Restricted-Use Files (BRUF).
In addition, the Wave 1 BRUF has been updated to include expanded samples from Wave 1 adults who had former experimental use or long-term former use of any tobacco product. The Restricted-Use and Public-Use Master Linkage Files have been updated to reflect the new files and the current availability of biospecimens in the Biospecimen Access Program.
Researchers are encouraged to apply for access to the Restricted-Use Files. Public-Use Files are also available for download. In addition, the Biospecimen Access Program webpage provides information on how to access the urine, serum, plasma, and genomic DNA collected from adult PATH Study participants during Wave 1 (2013 – 2014) and urine collected during Wave 2 (2014 – 2015), Wave 3 (2015-2016), Wave 4 (2016-2018),Wave 5 (2018-2019), and Wave 7 (2022-2023).
Questions about the collection, content, weighting, documentation, or structure of PATH Study data may be submitted to PATHDataUserQuestions@Westat.com.
The first wave of data collection occurred in 2013 and completed its sixth wave in late 2021. Below is a table of data collection waves.
| Wave # | Begin Date | End Date | Restricted-Use File Data Release Date | Public-Use File Data Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | September 2013 | December 2014 | December 2015 | August 2016 |
| Wave 2 | October 2014 | October 2015 | March 2017 | June 2017 |
| Wave 3 | October 2015 | October 2016 | May 2018 | September 2018 |
| Wave 4 | December 2016 | January 2018 | May 2019 | November 2019 |
| Wave 4.5 (Special collection) | December 2017 | December 2018 | March 2020 | September 2020 |
| Wave 5 | December 2018 | November 2019 | February 2021 | September 2021 |
| Wave 5.5 (Special Collection) | December 2019 | December 2020 | April 2022 | October 2022 |
| Adult Telephone Survey 2020 (Special Collection) | September 2020 | December 2020 | April 2022 | October 2022 |
| Wave 6 | March 2021 | November 2021 | March 2023 | September 2023 |
| Wave 7 | January 2022 | April 2023 | April 2024* | Fall 2024* |
| Wave 7.5 (Special Collection) | April 2023 | December 2023 | Winter 2024* | Summer 2025* |
| Wave 8 | January 2024 | December 2024 | Fall 2025* | Summer 2026* |