MEASURING READINESS AND MOTIVATION TO QUIT SMOKING AMONG WOMEN IN PUBLIC-HEALTH CLINICS - PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY

We conducted an independent pilot test of the internal consistency, st ability, and predictive validity of the instrument presented by Critte nden, Manfredi, Lacey, Warnecke, and Parsons (1994) using a two-wave p anel of female smokers in 12 public health clinics. This instrument su bdivides the precontemplation stage proposed by Prochaska and DiClemen te into three more distinct stages: not contemplating quitting or cutt ing down, not contemplating quitting, and not contemplating quitting w ithin 6 months. Findings confirm that the instrument is useful for eva luating movement toward quitting for populations that are largely conc entrated in the precontemplative stage. The concurrent and predictive validity of the elaborated stages and the reliability and stability of smoking motivation and confidence indicate that the instrument is sen sitive enough to track changes in readiness and motivation across the full readiness continuum. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.