Perception of Time Since Smoking Cessation: Time in Memory Can Elapse Faster

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Survey Methodology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Self-reported smoking behaviors are prone to response biases, impacting data quality.
• Backward telescoping bias, a form of recall bias, can distort time estimates since smoking cessation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the evidence and extent of backward telescoping bias in former smokers' reports of time since quitting.
• To determine if this bias varies across sociodemographic groups, smoking history, abstinence duration, and survey modes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1,611 respondents from the 2002-2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey.
• Use of multiple regressions with Balanced Repeated Replications for variance estimation.
• Comparison of response bias across subpopulations and survey administration modes (phone, in-person, mixed).

Main Results:

• Significant differences in backward telescoping bias were observed across various subpopulations and survey modes.
• Younger, female, Non-Hispanic White, and employed former smokers exhibited less bias.
• Respondents who quit more recently and were regular past smokers showed reduced bias.

Conclusions:

• Backward telescoping bias is a significant factor affecting time-since-cessation reports in former smokers.
• Awareness of this bias is crucial for accurate interpretation of smoking cessation data.
• Future studies should consider both forward and backward telescoping biases in survey design and analysis.