Exploring brief measures of nicotine dependence for epidemiological surveys.
A score > or = 6 in the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), identifying high nicotine dependence, was compared with three briefer classifications: (1) Item 4: heavy smoking (more than 30 cigarettes per day); (2) Item 1: high early smoking (smoking within 30 min of waking up); and (3) a score > or = 4 by combining Items 1 and 4. The FTND scores from 1642 smokers from five samples in the US and Spain were analyzed. Heavy smoking had low sensitivity. High early smoking had low specificity. A score > or = 4 by combining Items 1 and 4 had relatively good sensitivity (94%) and specificity (88%). Researchers needing definition of nicotine dependence briefer than FTND may want to only use Items 1 and 4 of FTND with a cutting score > or = 4.
D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology