Dimensions of smoking behavior

This study examines the interrelationships among topography and frequency measures and attempts to specify the structural dimensions of smoking behavior. Twenty-four male smokers were observed on two occasions and six measures of smoking behavior were obtained. A principal components analysis subjected to varimax rotation resulted in three orthogonal factors, inhalation (puff frequency and puff duration), cigarette rate (frequency and inter-cigarette interval) and amount smoked (% of tobacco burned and cigarette duration). These factors accounted for 80% of the variance. Both frequency and topography measures were stable over the two smoking occasions. Implications for future measurement of smoking behavior are discussed.