Smoking according to self-report and to carbon monoxide (CO) were examined
in 7.405 pregnant women who agreed to complete a breath test and questionna
ire. The sensitivity and specificity of self-report against CO, and predict
ors of a high CO among reported nonsmokers, were examined. The prevalence o
f reported smoking was 23% (95% CI: 19.4-26.4), and 20% had a CO of 9 or mo
re (95% CI: 17.0-23.1). The sensitivity and specificity against CO were 87%
(95% CI: 83.1-91.6) and 93% (95% CI: 91.9-94.6). The positive predictive v
alue was 76% (95% CI: 73.2-79.8), reflecting CO's inability to detect light
smoking. The negative predictive value was 97% (95% CI: 95.6-97.8). The be
st predictors of high CO among reported nonsmokers were being divorced/sepa
rated (9.8% had high CO), quitting during pregnancy (8.5% had high CO), bei
ng third trimester, and high passive exposure. Some pregnant women may repo
rt inaccurately despite validation. Difficulties remain in determining the
contributions of passive exposure and inaccurate report to inconsistencies
between biochemical and self-report measures. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd
. All rights reserved.