The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) is the global standard for systematically monitoring adult tobacco use (smoked or smokeless tobacco) and tracking key tobacco control indicators. In Brazil the GATS was known as the Special Survey on Tobacco Use in Brazil, and was conducted as a special supplement of the 2008 National Household Sample Survey, (PNAD). The PNAD aims to provide basic information for the study of Brazilian socioeconomic development. GATS is a nationally representative survey using a consistent and standard protocol across countries including Brazil. GATS enhances countries' capacity to design, implement and evaluate tobacco control programs. It will also assist Brazil to fulfill their obligations under the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and components of the WHO MPOWER technical package to generate comparable data within and across countries. GATS uses a global standardized methodology. It includes information on respondents' background characteristics, tobacco use (smoking and smokeless), cessation, secondhand smoke, economics, media, and knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards tobacco use. GATS was conducted in 2008 as a household survey of persons age 15 and over by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in collaboration with GATS National Committee and Brazilian partners. The sample design for Brazil is a multi-stage stratified sample, a subsample of one-third of the total households included in the PNAD. One individual was randomly chosen from each selected household to participate in the survey. Survey information was collected using handheld devices. The Brazil sample design will provide nationally representative estimates for urban-rural areas stratified by gender and region. The estimates were based on 39,425 completed interviews of males and females in India with an overall response rate of 94.0%. The survey results will be discussed in detail by the questionnaire topics and various tobacco control indicators.

Keywords: Global adult tobacco survey; Brazil; IBGE; PNAD

Biography: Dr. Eduardo Nuñes is the current president of IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) and Principal Investigator of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in Brazil.