Study links biomarkers of exposure to new smoking-specific and generic quality of life measures in current and former smokers

WORCESTER, MA, August 10, 2015 – Results from an article published in Health and Quality of Life Outcomes link a new smoking-specific quality of life measure based on JWRG’s QOL Disease Impact Scale (QDIS^®) to smoking behavior and to smoking-specific symptoms. This article presented data from two independent studies: a German trial and a US general population survey. Like many others, these studies both focused on young and otherwise healthy current and former adult smokers. Both studies found that the QDIS smoking impact scale had stronger associations than the generic SF-36^® Health Survey with smoking status (current versus former) and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. In the German trial, which also included laboratory test results, the QDIS smoking impact measure also correlated substantially and significantly higher than the SF-36 with four clinical biomarkers of tobacco exposure and impact. These and other results showed that the German- and English-language QDIS smoking impact scale and other measures in JWRG’s Tobacco QOL Impact Test (TQOLITv1™) have comparable and satisfactory psychometric properties for use in smoking outcomes research, including studies of otherwise healthy smokers.

Additional information about the German trial design and results were published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

JWRG gratefully acknowledges unrestricted research grant support from British American Tobacco, Group Research & Development, to evaluate the psychometric properties of TQOLITv1 measures among current and former smokers.