Authors: M. Fendrich, M.E. Mackesy-Amiti, T.P. Johnson, A. Hubbell, J.S. Wislar
We compared responses to questions about
tobacco use and passive exposure to smoking with biological tests for cotinine in order to estimate tobacco-reporting validity in an
epidemiological survey on drug use. Respondents identified via multistage sampling (n=627) completed
household surveys that were administered using an Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) procedure. Following the survey, respondents were asked to participate in drug testing. Saliva (oral fluid) was used to screen for the presence of cotinine, a major metabolite of tobacco. Hair, urine, and oral fluid testing were used to detect the presence of illicit drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.
