Development and validation of a cluster-based classification system to facilitate treatment tailoring

✍ Scribed by Susan E. Collins; Iris Torchalla; Martina Schröter; Gerhard Buchkremer; Anil Batra

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 126 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1049-8931
• DOI: 10.1002/mpr.251

✦ Synopsis

Aims:

The objectives of this study were to replicate smoker profi les identifi ed in Batra et al. (in press) and to develop a cluster-based classifi cation system to categorize new cases into smoker profi les so that an appropriate tailored intervention could be applied. Methods: Participants were smokers in southwest Germany who sought treatment for smoking cessation. In the fi rst sample, discriminant analysis was used to create classifi cation formulas for a future study (classifi cation sample: n = 165). The second sample served to replicate the smoker profi les, which included participants reporting symptoms of hyperactivity/novelty-seeking, depressivity or high nicotine dependence as well as participants scoring low across smoking and psychological variables (replication sample: N = 134). Results: Part 1 was focused on the development of formulas, using Fisher's coeffi cients, with which new cases could be classifi ed. Part 2 adequately replicated previous fi ndings concerning the smoker profi les, such that 70% of participants in the second sample were classifi ed identically using cluster analysis and classifi cation formulas. Conclusions: The smoker profi les found in a previous study were replicated, and a classifi cation system was developed for a future study which will test the effi cacy of tailored treatments for the different smoker profi les.