The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) has consistently strived to provide accurate health data regarding a variety of health behaviors including the use of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and associated smoking cessation behaviors. However, the growing difficulties with survey data collection prompted CHIS to implement a methodological redesign for data collection replacing its historical telephone mode with a mixed-mode web and telephone design using address-based sampling (Wells, 2020). The changes in sampling and the introduction of web data collection introduce possible changes in question stimulus and sociodemographic representation that may have implications on estimates of tobacco-related behaviors.

This report explores the impacts of these design changes on a number of smoking, e-cigarette, and tobacco use and cessation questions. For questions regarding current use, the change in methods results in significantly lower rates of current smokers as well as current use of non-cigarette tobacco and flavored tobacco products. In general, estimates related to ever use of an e-cigarette and smoking cessation behaviors do not seem to be affected by the methodological redesign.