Measuring the Heaviness of Smoking: using self‐reported time to the first cigarette of the day and number of cigarettes smoked per day
- 1 July 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in British Journal of Addiction
- Vol. 84 (7), 791-800
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1989.tb03059.x
Abstract
Two simple self-report measures have been used to assess the heaviness of smoking,‘number of cigarettes per day’(CPD) and‘time to the first cigarette of the day’(TTF). Little attention, however, has been given to the precise method of scoring this information. Using biochemical indicators of heaviness of smoking (alveolar carbon monoxide and cotinine), we explore the optimum data transformations for regression analysis and categorical analysis. We suggest a four category scoring scheme for both time to the first cigarette of the day (5, 6–30, 31–60 and 61 + mm) and average daily consumption of cigarettes (1–10, 11–20, 21–30, 31 + cigarettes) as the most powerful and practical categorical scoring of these variables. Due to possible ceiling effects on biochemical measures, we suggest using logarithmic transformations of CPD or TTF for regression or correlation analyses.This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Smoking topography and nicotine blood levelsAddictive Behaviors, 1988
- Saliva cotinine as a measure of smoking status in field settings.American Journal of Public Health, 1987
- Nicotine dependence and likelihood of quitting smokingAddictive Behaviors, 1986
- Some methodological cautions in the use of the tolerance questionnaireAddictive Behaviors, 1986
- Multiple comparison procedures within experimental research.Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 1984
- Nocotine dependence in cigarette smoking: An empirically-based, multivariate modelPharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 1983
- Cigarette smoking: Carboxyhemoglobin, plasma nicotine, cotinine and thiocyanate vs self-reported smoking data and cardiovascular diseaseJournal of Chronic Diseases, 1983
- Improved gas chromatographic method for the determination of nicotine and cotinine in biologic fluidsJournal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications, 1981
- Tobacco dependence, restraint and time to the first cigarette of the dayAddictive Behaviors, 1981
- Measuring degree of physical dependence to tobacco smoking with reference to individualization of treatmentAddictive Behaviors, 1978