title: Crack-cocaine use and health status as defined by the SF-36.
abstract: The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) was administered to 443 not-in-treatment, crack-cocaine smokers to explore the relationship between frequency of crack, alcohol, and tobacco use, addiction to these drugs, and health status. The reliability of the SF-36 with crack smokers was also assessed. Statistically significant, negative associations emerged between frequency of crack use and all SF-36 subscales except physical functioning. There were not significant associations between frequency of alcohol or tobacco use and any SF-36 subscale. Self-assessed addiction to crack was strongly and negatively associated with all SF-36 subscales: alcohol and tobacco addiction were also negatively associated with health status, but not to the degree of crack. The SF-36 produces reliable data on the health status of crack users and, as such, may have a useful role in assessments involving crack-using populations.
authors.affiliation: Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, OH 45435, USA. rfalck@wright.edu
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Falck
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Siegal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D016578:Crack Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine