HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wells, A J Articles by Perez-Stable, E J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wells, A J Articles by Perez-Stable, E J

Misclassification rates for current smokers misclassified as nonsmokers.

A J Wells, P B English, S F Posner, L E Wagenknecht and E J Perez-Stable

Impact Assessment, Inc, California Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Investigations Branch, Emeryville, USA.

OBJECTIVES: This paper provides misclassification rates for current cigarette smokers who report themselves as nonsmokers. Such rates are important in determining smoker misclassification bias in the estimation of relative risks in passive smoking studies. METHODS: True smoking status, either occasional or regular, was determined for individual current smokers in 3 existing studies of nonsmokers by inspecting the cotinine levels of body fluids. The new data, combined with an approximately equal amount in the 1992 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on passive smoking and lung cancer, yielded misclassification rates that not only had lower standard errors but also were stratified by sex and US minority majority status. RESULTS: The misclassification rates for the important category of female smokers misclassified as never smokers were, respectively, 0.8%, 6.0%, 2.8%, and 15.3% for majority regular, majority occasional, US minority regular, and US minority occasional smokers. Misclassification rates for males were mostly somewhat higher. CONCLUSIONS: The new information supports EPA's conclusion that smoker misclassification bias is small. Also, investigators are advised to pay attention to minority/majority status of cohorts when correcting for smoker misclassification bias.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Lindstrom Nicotine replacement therapy, professional therapy, snuff use and tobacco smoking: a study of smoking cessation strategies in southern Sweden Tob. Control, December 1, 2007; 16(6): 410 - 416. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Lindstrom and E. Janzon Social capital, institutional (vertical) trust and smoking: A study of daily smoking and smoking cessation among ever smokers Scand J Public Health, October 1, 2007; 35(5): 460 - 467. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Halling, A. Halling, and L. Unell General health and tobacco habits among middle-aged Swedes Eur J Public Health, April 1, 2007; 17(2): 151 - 154. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. E. Hill, T. Blakely, I. Kawachi, and A. Woodward Mortality among Lifelong Nonsmokers Exposed to Secondhand Smoke at Home: Cohort Data and Sensitivity Analyses Am. J. Epidemiol., March 1, 2007; 165(5): 530 - 540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. Wakelee, E. T. Chang, S. L. Gomez, T. H. Keegan, D. Feskanich, C. A. Clarke, L. Holmberg, L. C. Yong, L. N. Kolonel, M. K. Gould, et al. Lung Cancer Incidence in Never Smokers J. Clin. Oncol., February 10, 2007; 25(5): 472 - 478. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Studts, S. R. Ghate, J. L. Gill, C. R. Studts, C. N. Barnes, A. S. LaJoie, M. A. Andrykowski, and R. V. LaRocca Validity of Self-reported Smoking Status among Participants in a Lung Cancer Screening Trial. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., October 1, 2006; 15(10): 1825 - 1828. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Ohlander, M. Vikstrom, M. Lindstrom, and K. Sundquist Neighbourhood non-employment and daily smoking: a population-based study of women and men in Sweden Eur J Public Health, February 1, 2006; 16(1): 78 - 84. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A Jensen, L. J Vatten, T. I. Nilsen, P. R Romundstad, and H. O Myhre The association between smoking and the prevalence of intermittent claudication Vascular Medicine, November 1, 2005; 10(4): 257 - 263. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E Yano Japanese spousal smoking study revisited: how a tobacco industry funded paper reached erroneous conclusions Tob. Control, August 1, 2005; 14(4): 227 - 235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Choudhry, P. C. Avila, S. Nazario, N. Ung, J. Kho, J. R. Rodriguez-Santana, J. Casal, H.-J. Tsai, A. Torres, E. Ziv, et al. CD14 Tobacco Gene-Environment Interaction Modifies Asthma Severity and Immunoglobulin E Levels in Latinos with Asthma Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 15, 2005; 172(2): 173 - 182. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Lindstrom Psychosocial work conditions, social capital, and daily smoking: a population based study Tob. Control, September 1, 2004; 13(3): 289 - 295. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Lindstrom, M. Moghaddassi, K. Bolin, B. Lindgren, and J. Merlo Social participation, social capital and daily tobacco smoking: a population-based multilevel analysis in Malmo, Sweden Scand J Public Health, December 1, 2003; 31(6): 444 - 450. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M Lindstrom, S-O Isacsson, and S Elmstahl Impact of different aspects of social participation and social capital on smoking cessation among daily smokers: a longitudinal study Tob. Control, September 1, 2003; 12(3): 274 - 281. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Schnoll, B. Zhang, M. Rue, J. E. Krook, W. T. Spears, A. C. Marcus, and P. F. Engstrom Brief Physician-Initiated Quit-Smoking Strategies for Clinical Oncology Settings: A Trial Coordinated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group J. Clin. Oncol., January 15, 2003; 21(2): 355 - 365. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. R. Bertone, L. A. Snyder, and A. S. Moore Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Risk of Malignant Lymphoma in Pet Cats Am. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2002; 156(3): 268 - 273. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Rebagliato Validation of self reported smoking J Epidemiol Community Health, March 1, 2002; 56(3): 163 - 164. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Lindstrom and S-O Isacsson Long term and transitional intermittent smokers: a longitudinal study Tob. Control, March 1, 2002; 11(1): 61 - 67. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. J. Perez-Stable, A. Ramirez, R. Villareal, G. A. Talavera, E. Trapido, L. Suarez, J. Marti, and A. McAlister Cigarette Smoking Behavior Among US Latino Men and Women From Different Countries of Origin Am J Public Health, September 1, 2001; 91(9): 1424 - 1430. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Lindstrom and P.-O. Ostergren Intermittent and daily smokers: two different socioeconomic patterns, and diverging influence of social participation Tob. Control, September 1, 2001; 10(3): 258 - 266. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Nelson The miseries of passive smoiong Human and Experimental Toxicology, February 1, 2001; 20(2): 61 - 83. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Lindstrom, B. S. Hanson, P.-O. Ostergren, and G. Berglund Socioeconomic differences in smoking cessation: the role of social participation Scand J Public Health, July 1, 2000; 28(3): 200 - 208. [Abstract] [PDF]