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Estimates of population smoking prevalence: self-vs proxy reports of smoking status
E A Gilpin1, J P Pierce, S W Cavin
1Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0901.
Objectives:
In the face of rising costs of surveillance systems, it is time to reexamine the feasibility of including proxy respondents in surveys designed to provide population estimates of smoking prevalence.
Methods:
Data are from the California. Tobacco Surveys, which are random-digit dialed telephone surveys. One adult provided demographic information and smoking status for all household residents. Additionally, some adults were selected for in-depth interviews that also included smoking status questions. We matched information from proxy respondents and self-respondents and evaluated smoking status discrepancies between them relative to demographic and other factors (n = 2930 matched pairs) in 1992. We address the potential bias these discrepancies might introduce into the population estimate of smoking prevalence.
Results:
Overall, the discrepancy between proxy report and self-report was 4.3%, and it increased particularly when the self-respondent reported nondaily smoking or recent quitting. Discrepancies acted in both directions, and the net bias was that the screener survey overestimated smoking prevalence by 0.1% in 1992 (0.3% in 1990).
Conclusions:
Smoking status questions can be added to ongoing surveys such as the census or labor force surveys; one adult could provide smoking status for all household members.