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Related Experiment Videos

Accuracy of recalled smoking data.

E A Krall1, I Valadian, J T Dwyer

  • 1Calcium and Bone Health Laboratory, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111.

American Journal of Public Health
|February 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Recalling past smoking habits is generally accurate for middle-aged adults, especially for recent history. However, recall accuracy for smoking status and amount decreases significantly over longer periods, with ex-smokers being less accurate.

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Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Accurate long-term recall of health behaviors like smoking is crucial for epidemiological studies.
  • Previous research has shown varying degrees of accuracy in self-reported historical health data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the validity of recalled cigarette smoking data in middle-aged adults.
  • To compare the accuracy of recalling smoking status and amount smoked over different time intervals (20 and 32 years).
  • To examine factors influencing recall accuracy, such as gender and smoking history.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 87 middle-aged adults compared recalled smoking information to longitudinal records.
  • Data collected included smoking status and amount smoked at two distinct past time points.

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  • Statistical analysis was used to determine agreement between recalled data and actual records.

    • Main Results:

    • High agreement was found for 20-year recall: 87% for smoking status and 71% for amount smoked.
    • Recall accuracy decreased for 32-year recall: 84% for status and 55% for amount.
    • Gender did not significantly impact recall accuracy.
    • Ex-smokers demonstrated a tendency towards greater recall errors.
    • Accuracy for recalled smoking information was comparable to that of recalled alcohol data.

    Conclusions:

    • Recalled smoking information, particularly for shorter durations (20 years), demonstrates reasonable validity in middle-aged adults.
    • Long-term recall (32 years) shows a notable decline in accuracy for both smoking status and amount.
    • Ex-smokers may require more careful consideration when relying on their recalled smoking history.
    • The findings suggest that recalled smoking data can be a useful, albeit imperfect, tool in epidemiological research.