Responsiveness of the Smoking Cessation Quality of Life (SCQoL) questionnaire

Background: The Smoking Cessation Quality of Life (SCQoL) questionnaire was developed to quantify changes in self-reported functioning and well-being associated with the smoking cessation process and to facilitate comparisons among smokers, former smokers, and nonsmokers. The SCQoL includes 5 cessat ion-targeted scales and the 8 multi-item scales of the Medical Outcomes Stu dy 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Objective: This study was conducted to assess the responsiveness of the SCQ oL by analyzing associations between SCQoL scale scores and duration of smo king abstinence. Methods: The SCQoL was administered at a screening visit and 2 to 6 weeks a fter screening as part of a longitudinal study. Study participants included smokers who intended to quit smoking. Subjects were required to purchase n icotine inhalers and were prompted to quit smoking before follow-up. Based on self-reported duration of abstinence at follow-up, subjects were categor ized as recidivists (0 days smoke free), short-term abstainers (1-7 days sm oke free), or longer-term abstainers (>7 days smoke free). Kruskal-Wallis t ests were used to compare changes in scale scores from screening to follow- up among the 3 groups. Results: The internal consistency reliability of the 13 SCQoL scales ranged from 0.67 to 0.92. Subjects who maintained abstinence for longer periods e xperienced smaller declines in health-related quality of life between the s creening and follow-up assessments. Differences among the 3 groups were dri ven primarily by differences between recidivists and longer-term abstainers . Conclusions: The results are consistent with research indicating that recid ivists report a greater number of land more severe) cessation-related sympt oms than abstainers. The: findings of this investigation provide evidence f or the responsiveness of the SCQoL.