title: The Fagerström test for nicotine dependence: a comparison of standard scoring and latent class analysis approaches.
abstract: The classification of being tobacco dependent obtained via the established scoring method of the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) is compared to a method that bases classification on the pattern of item responses. Young adults participating in a longitudinal study, who indicated they had ever smoked, were asked six standardized items (n = 962; mean age 21 years). By standard scoring, the mean FTND score was 1.9 (S.E.= 2.3): 66% of the smokers qualified for a very low level of dependence, 17% low, 9% moderate, and 9% a high level of dependence. Response patterns detected by latent class analysis (LCA) indicated class differences based on severity gradations and of qualitative content. Three profiles of tobacco dependence were found: a non-dependent class (50%), a class manifesting a moderate number of dependence features (31%), and more severely affected class (19%). The vast majority of smokers (three-fourth) were classified congruently by these two methods. Discrepancies involved LCA classifying smokers into a higher level of dependence when compared to the conventional scoring classification. Patterns of dependence features obtained from population samples that include a wide range of smokers may provide insight into possible phenotypic differences among tobacco smokers, particularly when LCA methods are used to complement standard scoring methods.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N Broadway, 8th Fl, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. cstorr@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Carla L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Storr
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Reboussin
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Anthony
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology