Strength of Tobacco Control (SOTC) is an exposure measure which has been developed for the ASSIST evaluation. This measure aims to determine if states with better-developed resources and infrastructure—as well as an increased capacity to deliver tobacco control programs— achieve lower tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence. Practices and approaches most likely to be associated with successful implementation of state-level tobacco control programs have been identified. Instead of measuring the individual effects of the different tobacco control programs across the U.S., this exposure measure summarizes the complex construct that represents the multiple facets and components of state-level tobacco control resources, capacities and efforts. In addition to being used in the ASSIST evaluation, this research can inform best practices for other state-level tobacco control programs. Stillman F, Schmitt C, Clark P, Trochim W, Marcus S. The Strength of Tobacco Control Index. In: Stillman, FA, ed. Evaluating ASSIST: A Blueprint for Understanding State-Level Tobacco Control. NCI Tobacco Control Monograph 17. National Cancer Institute: Bethesda, MD (In Press). | 
