Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort
Study (MACC)
The Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort Study is designed to measure the effects of tobacco prevention and control programs aimed at youth in the state of Minnesota and to gain a better understanding of the process by which young people go from non-smokers to smokers as they get older.
Every six months over 4,000 youth are contacted by telephone and
asked about their attitudes and practices regarding tobacco. The original
sample consisted of teens who were 12-16 years old in 2000. An additional
group of 12 year olds were recruited in 2001.
In 2008 MACC participants ranged in age from 17 to 24. Originally
funded for the years 2000-2004, the National Cancer Institute renewed funding for MACC through 2009.
Research
Design
The prospective,
longitudinal design provides information about the link between
local tobacco control programs and changes in behavior that
effect susceptibility, acquisition, and prevalence of use
of tobacco by youth and young adults. Minnesota will be compared
to four other midwest states in the statewide analysis. Data
will be gathered on multiple variables at the individual,
community, and state levels. Project Investigators are faculty
and staff in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
at the University of Minnesota, staff at the Minnesota
Department of Health, and staff at Clearwater
Research, Inc.
Who Participates in MACC?
Over 4,000 teens and
young adults from Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan and Kansas
were originally recruited to participate in the MACC Study
in 2000-2001.
Characteristics of MACC
Participants in March 2008:
Gender:
Male
49%
Female
51%
Grade Level:
High School
7%
College
55%
Employed Full Time
31%
Age Range:
17-24 years
Ethnicity:
African American
5%
Native American
3%
Asian
2%
Hispanic
3%
Caucasian
82%
Other/missing
5%
Participant Follow-Up
How was the MACC sample selected?
Teens participating in MACC were selected at random from the
states of Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Clearwater Research, Inc.,
which is conducting the survey, did the initial recruitment
in the fall of 2001. Participation in the study is strictly
voluntary.
Have all the participants stayed in the study?
MACC has been very successful in retaining participants. If
participants
move or change their phone number they are asked to contact
the MACC
researchers or Clearwater Research to provide new contact
information.
Additionally, staff from the University's Health Survey Research
Center
(HSRC) assist with tracking participants who have moved or
changed phone
numbers."
How long will MACC track the participants?
The National Cancer Insitute has funded this study through
2009. By the time the interviews are done, many of our participants
will be in their early 20s. This will be the first cohort
study examining tobacco use and uptake in teens as they transition
into young adults.
MACC Baseline Survey
Every six months over 4,000 youth
are contacted by telephone and asked about their attitudes and
practices regarding tobacco. The original sample consisted of
teens who were 12-16 years old in 2000. An additional group
of 12 year olds was recruited in 2001.
The phone interview lasts between 10-20 minutes, depending
upon the smoking status of the respondent.
A copy of the full MACC baseline survey that was conducted
in 2000-2001 can be found
here.
MACC GeographyWhere MACC participants lived at the beginning of the project:
Link
to: Academic Health Center : School
of Public Health : U of M Home 
Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort
Study (MACC)
