One of the most extensively studied areas of health behavior is that related to smoking. However, significant methodological limitations often limit the usefulness of research efforts. The purpose of this paper is to identify several of the more significant limitations found in the present research and to present suggestions to improve further research in smoking behavior.
Several significant limitations of smoking research include the lack of common definitions of various behaviors, honesty of subject response, the lack of prospective studies and the problems inherent in such a design, and the preponderance of univariate types of analyses. Also, evaluation of program effectiveness is often limited by lack of appropriate criteria of what is meant by “success.” Lastly, much of the current research appears to focus on cessation or modification of the smoking habit. Less emphasis is directed at the area of prevention, especially involving an educational approach. Suggestions for improving anti-smoking research efforts are presented.
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