Abstract

Background: Smoking poses varions adverse effects on human health. Unfortunately, there is still a large population of smokers worldwide. Well understanding the potential consequences of smoking by the general public may prevent the initiation of smoking behavior and help the smokers to quit. Aims: The aim of this study was to cross-culturally translate and validate the Persian version of Smoking Consequences Questionnaire (SCQ). Design and methods: The backward-forward translation technique was used to setup the scales among 40 smokers. Using a convenient sampling method, 400 smokers were recruited from a smoking cessation department in Qazvin city. Internal consistency and test-retest method was used to assess reliability. Cronbach's Alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) were used to assess Internal Consistency and Test-retest reliability. Predictive validity of Nicotine Dependence was measured by correlation between SCQ and Fagerstrom Test. The scale construction was verified by Factor Analysis (explanatory and confirmatory). Data are expressed as mean +/- SD, which were analyzed by SPSS. Results: The average age of participants was 40 +/- 0.6 (376 male, 24 female). More than half of the participants smoked between 11 and 20 cigarettes per day. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients test showed an acceptable internal consistency (ranged from 0.70 to 0.93). All items of the SCQ were significantly correlated with each other at two assessments with 2-week interval (r ranged from 0.76 to 0.93). The ICC ranged from 0.73 to 0.89 for all factors (p<0.05). The scale well fitted the data (GFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.064). There were 10 factors on the scale which explained similar to 78 of the variance. Conclusion: Our results suggest that Persian SCQ is a valid and reliable application among Iranian smokers. The scales can nicely recognize the smokers' views on health consequences across different languages and cultures, which is highly recommended in general public education.