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

• Activity Number: 88
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Sunday, August 3, 2014 : 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
• Sponsor: Health Policy Statistics Section
• Author(s): Julia Soulakova*+ and Brianna Bright and Lisa Crockett
• Companies: University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Keywords: Complex sampling ; National surveys ; Replicate weights ; Social desirability bias

Abstract

Self-reports concerning smoking behaviors are subject to response bias that may severely affect the data quality. This study examined the extent of response bias in reports on time since completely quitting smoking among former smokers, who reported the time to be larger at a latter assessment than expected based on their prior reports, and those who reported the time similar to the expected one. The data came from the 2002-2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. We detected overall significantly smaller extent of response bias for respondents who were younger, female, Non-Hispanic White, employed, who were regular (rather than occasional) smokers in the past, and who quit smoking either recently or some time ago as opposed to a long time ago; a significant overall effect of survey mode was also detected. The discrepancy in reports may be due to backward telescoping and/or social desirability bias that affect mostly older respondents and respondents who were occasional smokers in the past. Studies which use the national smoking-related data should correctly account for possible impaired perception of time since smoking cessation in former smokers.