Assessment of Cigarette Smoking in Epidemiologic Studies

Abstract

The assessment of cumulative exposure based on collecting information on the history of active cigarette smoking has been and is being undertaken in a variety of ways. While a very detailed assessment may be required for studies with a focus on particular aspects of smoking behavior and history, comparability of measurements and results across studies remains a primary concern. Addressing the problem of heterogeneity of exposure assessment across studies can be achieved by a core set of questions that cover the major dimensions of cigarette smoking, and yet comply with current criteria used for defining smoking history and status. In studies where no very high level of exposure assessment is required or where smoking is not the major subject of investigation, a practical standardized core set of questions appears to be of considerable value, in particularwith regard to making results more comparable across studies.

BAck complaints in the elders - chiropractic (BACE-C): protocol of an international cohort study of older adults with low back pain seeking chiropractic care

“…Patient-related factors: The following factors will be measured at baseline: 1) sociodemographic characteristics (i.e. age, gender, marital status, education level, height, weight); 2) physical activity (measured with the International Physical Activity questionnaire [15]); 3) other lifestyle variables smoking; measured by pack years, alcohol use measured by the short version of the AUDIT-C [17,18], sleeping habits; measured by the short version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [19]; 4) comorbidities using the Selfadministered Comorbidity Questionnaire [20] and 7)…”

What to Put on the User

“…Before signing the consent form, they were briefed on the study background as well as the sensor placement on the body. Subsequently, the were asked to fill in an initial assessment consisting of demographic questions, selfreported fitness assessment, and smoking behavior as inquired in Weitkunat et al [75]. Participants were given a short treadmill introduction and the mental arithmetic task was explained.…”

Accuracy of the Smoking Questionnaire

“…To address the heterogeneity of smoking exposure assessment, the smoking questionnaire (SQ) was developed to cover the major dimensions of cigarette smoking (4). The SQ comprises 8 items, 6 related to smoking behavior and 2 related to quitting history (Appendix 1).…”

“…Most importantly, it provides a basis for comparing smoking history assessment and results across studies. While the SQ is focusing on brevity and simplicity, it consists of a minimum standard, useful, sufficient, coherent, and consistent set of questions to assess cigarette smoking (4). Therefore, it would be of considerable value in studies where extremely detailed information on smoking exposure is not required and/or where smoking behavior is not the main subject of the investigation.…”