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Bias in Measuring Smoking Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Vidhura Tennekoon
  • Robert Rosenman

    (School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University)

Abstract

Researchers often use the discrepancy between the self-reported and biochemically assessed active smoking status to argue that self-reported smoking status is not reliable, ignoring the limitations of biochemically assessed measures and treating it as the gold standard in their comparisons. Here, we employ recent advances in econometric techniques to compare self-reported and biochemically assessed smoking data taking into account errors with both methods. Our results suggest that biochemical measures may not always be more reliable than self-reported data.

Suggested Citation

  • Vidhura Tennekoon & Robert Rosenman, 2013. "Bias in Measuring Smoking Behavior," Working Papers 2013-10, School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsu:wpaper:rosenman-15
    as

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    File URL: http://faculty.ses.wsu.edu/WorkingPapers/rosenman/WP2013-10.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2013
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Vidhura Tennekoon & Robert Rosenman, 2016. "Systematically misclassified binary dependent variables," Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(9), pages 2538-2555, May.
    3. Hausman, J. A. & Abrevaya, Jason & Scott-Morton, F. M., 1998. "Misclassification of the dependent variable in a discrete-response setting," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 239-269, September.
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    5. Cowan, Benjamin & Schwab, Benjamin, 2011. "The incidence of the healthcare costs of smoking," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 1094-1102.
    6. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    7. van Ours, Jan C., 2004. "A pint a day raises a man's pay; but smoking blows that gain away," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 863-886, September.
    8. Irina B. Grafova & Frank P. Stafford, 2009. "The Wage Effects of Personal Smoking History," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 62(3), pages 381-393, April.
    9. Phillip B. Levine & Tara A. Gustafson & Ann D. Velenchik, 1997. "More Bad News for Smokers? The Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Wages," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 50(3), pages 493-509, April.
    10. M. Christopher Auld, 2005. "Smoking, Drinking, and Income," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(2).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. #HEJC papers for October 2013
      by academichealtheconomists in The Academic Health Economists' Blog on 2013-10-01 04:30:26
    2. Can we measure smoking behavior?
      by Economic Logician in Economic Logic on 2013-10-08 18:54:00

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew Birch & Robert Rosenman, 2019. "How Much Does Merit Aid Actually Matter? Revisiting Merit Aid and College Enrollment When Some Students “Come Anyway”," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(6), pages 760-802, September.
    2. Sean Murphy & Daniel Friesner & Robert Rosenman, 2015. "Opioid Misuse Among Adolescents: New Evidence from a Misclassification Analysis," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 181-192, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    smoking prevalence; misclassification; social desirability; biochemical assessments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C18 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Methodolical Issues: General
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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