Construct validity and reliability of the Malay version of the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND): A confirmatory factor analysis.

Introduction: The Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) was forward-backwards translated into the Malay language (FTND-M) and administered to 152 daily smokers who sought treatment for smoking cessation in government health clinics in Selangor state, Malaysia.

Methods: Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), four measurement models with the best relative fit were compared, one uni-dimensional model, and three different two-domain (morning and daytime smoking) models.

Results: The findings indicate that the best model of the FTND-M was a two-domain model, wherein domain one represented morning smoking (time to first cigarette of the day, smoking more in the morning, and which cigarette would you hate to give up) and domain two represented daytime smoking (cigarettes per day, difficulty refraining from smoking, and smoking when ill) which showed good model fit [χ/df=1.

Agreement between the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and the heaviness of smoking index (HSI) for assessing the intensity of nicotine dependence among daily smokers.

Introduction: Measuring the level of nicotine addiction among smokers is an integral part of enhancing smoking cessation as nicotine dependence is one of the barriers to smoking cessation. In this study, we compared the level of agreement between FTND and HSI in detecting high nicotine dependence among daily smokers.

Methods: We collected data from participants of a public smoking cessation clinic in Selangor.