2008 NAQC Annual Survey

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated 10-29-08

For most recent additions to the FAQs, click here.

Added 10-10-08

When I log on I get an error message about the security certificate. What do I do?

When I copy and paste from a Word document into the survey, some of the response does not get saved. How can I fix this?

My Important Information document includes a description for item 49 of response categories that do not show up on my Survey. What should I do?
When I log in to the survey, no data from 2006 shows up. Am I doing something wrong?

Added 10-21-08

For Item 20 (quitline budget), how do I indicate that an external evaluation was conducted, but paid for separately? (The money did not go to the Quitline as part of its budget. It went straight to the evaluators, even though it was an evaluation about our Quitline's services.)
NAQC has quitline profiles listed on the website. Will 2008 Annual Survey data be used to update these profiles automatically?
Our current quitline services are very different than the services that were offered in Fiscal Year 2008. If we completed the survey based on fiscal year 2008, it would not reflect what is currently happening in our state/province. What should we do?

Our organization (state/provincial government, university, non-profit organization, etc.) extended our 2008 Fiscal Year so that it does not conform to a typical 12 month period. How do we account for this when completing the survey?

I entered some data already, but when I try to log in again I get an error message saying that the survey is locked. I know I am the only person using the survey right now. What do I do?

I have not started entering survey data yet, and I just realized that the deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Will I have problems meeting the deadline?

Added 10-29-08

For the budget questions, how are you defining "FY 08" - as FY 2007-2008 or as FY 2008-2009? And which months should we be reporting? January – December, or July – June?

Q12 – how are you defining “primary funder?” Where the money originally came from? Or the organization responsible for the quitline contract?

Q20 – For “total quitline budget” should we include the estimated budget amount for the fiscal year, or the actual funds spent in the fiscal year?

Q51 - should responses for the two parts of Question 51 add up to the total number in question 50?

Q51 - How are you defining “repeat caller”? What about someone who is a “continuing caller” – called for the first time last fiscal year, and called again 4 months later in this fiscal year?

Q52 – we are unable to include repeat callers in our calculations for this item. Should we check the box “unable to report?”

Q68 – For Question 68 (Who conducts your quitline follow-up evaluations?): the text box for specifying an Outside evaluation firm does not save at all. What should we do?

Q69 CDC supplemental funding – we didn’t answer a call for proposals, but we did get a renewal for supplemental funding. Is that what this question is referring to?

1. When I log on I get an error message about the security certificate. What do I do?

The first time you access the site, the browser will tell you it doesn't recognize the certificate (it is not recognized because we didn't purchase an authorized certificate for the three weeks of this survey, but we're using a standard Microsoft certificate server which ensures secure transmissions). You didn't do anything wrong, and here is how to proceed.

Internet Explorer:

"There is a problem with this website's certificate." Choose "Continue to this website." You need to do this only the first time.

Then you may get the message: "This page contains both securre and nonsecure items. Do you want to display the nonsecure items?" Choose Yes. (Depending on how your browser is configured, this question will repeat each time you logon.)

Firefox

Version 3. "Secure connection failure." Choose "Add an exception" and "Get certificate".

Version 2. "Unable to verify the identity of nacq as a trusted site." Choose "Accept certificate permanently." and "OK".

2. When I copy and paste from a Word document into the survey, some of the response does not get saved. How can I fix this?

Either enter text directly into the text box in the Survey, or cut and paste from Notepad or some other non-formatted program.

3. My Important Information document includes a description for item 49 of response categories that do not show up on my Survey. What should I do?

Ignore the response for item 49 on the Important Information document. There is nothing new for item 49 this year – answer the question as it is written. The Important Information document has been updated to reflect this. If you have further questions, email or call the NAQC office at 602.279.2719.

4. When I log in to the survey, no data from 2006 shows up. Am I doing something wrong?

If your quitline completed the survey in 2006, data should show up in this year’s survey for items that match exactly. Try logging out and logging back in, making sure to use the correct Organizational ID and email address. If the survey is still blank, send an email to with your name, org ID, email address, and a brief description of the problem.

5. For Item 20 (quitline budget), how do I indicate that an external evaluation was conducted, but paid for separately? (The money did not go to the Quitline as part of its budget. It went straight to the evaluators, even though it was an evaluation about our Quitline's services.)

Any money spent on evaluation should go on the evaluation line (item 20, 4th line down). If you want to be really clear about which money came through which source, you can add that in the large text box at the bottom of item 20. If you’re not comfortable with including the amount of the evaluation in the total quitline budget, just note in the large text box at the bottom that you are not including the evaluation $$ in the total quitline budget because the money didn’t go through the quitline.

6. NAQC has quitline profiles listed on the website. Will 2008 Annual Survey data be used to update these profiles automatically?

To see quitline profiles, go to click on the interactive map, click on the country of interest, and select a quitline from the drop-down menu. The profiles online for each quitline are intended to be reflections of current conditions for quitlines. The 2008 Annual Survey asks only about Fiscal Year 2008. In order to ensure that the online profiles include the most up-to-date information, quitlines will be asked separately to provide updates to their profiles. An email will be sent every quarter to all funders/administrators for state and provincial quitlines with a link to the current profiles asking for any changes or updates to the profiles. The next update is scheduled for Fall 2008. Quitlines can also update their profiles at any time by sending an email to .

7. Our current quitline services are very different than the services that were offered in Fiscal Year 2008. If we completed the survey based on fiscal year 2008, it would not reflect what is currently happening in our state/province. What should we do?

Complete the survey with data from Fiscal Year 2008 only (however your quitline defines Fiscal Year 2008). Current conditions for your quitline should be reflected in the online Quitline Profiles located at To see quitline profiles, click on the interactive map, click on the country of interest, and select a quitline from the drop-down menu. To update your quitline’s profile, send an email to .

8. Our organization (state/provincial government, university, non-profit organization, etc.) extended our 2008 Fiscal Year so that it does not conform to a typical 12 month period. How do we account for this when completing the survey?

Include your fiscal year 2008 start date and end date in item 3. Answer the survey for the full Fiscal Year 2008 as your organization defines it. Include a note in the text box for item 74 (last item on the survey) that calls attention to the fact that your fiscal year is longer than the typical 12 months period.

9. I entered some data already, but when I try to log in again I get an error message saying that the survey is locked. I know I am the only person using the survey right now. What do I do?

When you exit the survey, make sure to select either “Save and Exit” or “Cancel and Exit” from the left hand pane. Do NOT close your browser window to exit the survey, or the survey will think you are still logged in. If this happens, the person for your quitline responsible for approving and submitting the survey (the “closing authority”) can “unlock” the survey for you through the “Unlock Survey” feature in the left hand pane. Make sure nobody else is entering data when you do this, because anyone trying to enter data will be logged out of the survey and no data will be saved. If the authorized “closing authority” is unavailable for your quitline, you can email or call the NAQC office for help at 602.279.2719.

10. I have not started entering survey data yet, and I just realized that the deadline is less than 2 weeks away. Will I have problems meeting the deadline?

The deadline for data entry is 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, October 31. You do not have to have all your data assembled prior to entering data this year. You may log on, enter some data, and log off, and your data will be saved. We recommend that you start this process as soon as possible, as some of the data requested may take some time to request. We strongly recommend that all quitlines start entering data by Friday, October 24 in order to guarantee completion by the October 31 deadline.

11. For the budget questions, how are you defining "FY 08" - as FY 2007-2008 or as FY 2008-2009? And which months should we be reporting? January – December, or July – June?

Please indicate the start and end date for your quitline’s fiscal year in question 3, as your quitline defines Fiscal Year 2008. If your quitline’s fiscal year 2008 was shorter or longer than 12 months, please make a special note of that in the text box for question 74.

12. Q12 – how are you defining “primary funder?” Where the money originally came from? Or the organization responsible for the quitline contract?

We are interested in contact information for the organization that contracts with the service provider to provide quitline services. It does not matter where that organization originally got the funds to pay for quitline services (CDC, MSA, etc.) The purpose of this question is to identify the person with decision-making authority for the quitline contract in each state and province.

13. Q20 – For “total quitline budget” should we include the estimated budget amount for the fiscal year, or the actual funds spent in the fiscal year?

Please include the actual funds spent in the fiscal year.

14. Q51 - should responses for the two parts of Question 51 add up to the total number in question 50?

Yes. Q51 is designed to separate out repeat callers (see next question) from first-time callers. Because Q50 and Q51 are asking about unique tobacco users, Q50 should be the sum of the two parts of Q51.

15. Q51 - How are you defining “repeat caller”? What about someone who is a “continuing caller” – called for the first time last fiscal year, and called again 4 months later in this fiscal year?

Question 51 is designed to separate out repeat callers from first time callers. Quitlines can do this by identifying whether callers have answered “yes” to the MDS question “have you called this number in the past year?” If yes, they are a repeat caller (“continuing callers” as defined in the question would be classified as repeat callers using this definition). Those who answer “no” even if they called the number before, but more than 12 months ago, would be classified as a “new caller” for the purposes of this survey.

16. 52 – we are unable to include repeat callers in our calculations for this item. Should we check the box “unable to report?”

No, include the number you are able to calculate, and indicate who is excluded from that number in the text box for item 74.

17. Q68 – For Question 68 (Who conducts your quitline follow-up evaluations?): the text box for specifying an Outside evaluation firm does not save at all. What should we do?

If your quitline contracts with an outside evaluation firm, please record that fact in the following fashion:

1. Mark the checkbox next to Outside evaluation firm.

2. Specify the name of this firm in the subsequent text box (below Other) without marking the checkbox next to Other. Label the entry as ‘outside evaluation firm:’

3. If you ALSO have Other evaluation, mark the checkbox next to Other and specify that Other on the line below the Outside evaluation firm. Label the entry as ‘other:’

18. Q69 CDC supplemental funding – we didn’t answer a call for proposals, but we did get a renewal for supplemental funding. Is that what this question is referring to?

The wording about “applications” refers to continuing funding for CDC supplemental funds for quitlines. If your quitline received CDC supplemental funds for quitlines in FY 2008, please reply “yes” and answer questions 70-72.

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