Readiness and Motivation to Quit Smoking Questionnaire (RMQ)

Abstract

The Readiness and Motivation to Quit Smoking Questionnaire (RMQ) is an 11-item self-report instrument developed by Crittenden and colleagues in 1994. Its primary purpose is to quantitatively assess the stage of readiness and level of motivation concerning tobacco use reduction or complete smoking cessation. The RMQ is particularly valuable in public health research and clinical settings, as it allows practitioners to tailor interventions based on an individual’s psychological preparedness for behavioral change.

The instrument organizes responses into three critical factors: change behavior, motivation, and confidence (or self-efficacy), providing a nuanced psychometric profile of the smoker’s commitment. It has been primarily validated on specific populations, notably women with lower educational attainment accessing public health services, ensuring its relevance for targeted community health efforts.

Keywords

Smoking Cessation, Readiness to Change, Motivation, Tobacco Use, Public Health, Smoking Reduction, Crittenden, Self-Efficacy.

Authors

Kathleen S. Crittenden, C. Manfredi, L. Lacey, R. Warnecke, J. Parsons, B. R. Flay, Y.I. Cho.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the RMQ is to measure the degree of motivation and the specific stage of readiness to change that a smoker exhibits regarding reducing or quitting tobacco use. Unlike simpler stage-based assessments, the RMQ provides specific metrics on intent, planning, and perceived ability.

This detailed measurement is essential for effective clinical practice, allowing health professionals to place respondents accurately within a continuum of change. By quantifying motivation and confidence levels, the RMQ helps determine the most appropriate and effective intervention strategy, maximizing the likelihood of a successful quit attempt or reduction in smoking behavior.

Construct

The RMQ is grounded in behavioral change models, specifically operationalizing key elements associated with the initiation and maintenance of health-related behavioral shifts, such as those found in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). The scale measures the psychological state necessary for successful smoking cessation by assessing three interrelated constructs:

• Behavioral Change: The presence of concrete actions or immediate plans to modify smoking habits.
• Motivation: The intensity of the desire and determination to either cut down or quit entirely.
• Confidence (Self-Efficacy): The individual’s belief in their ability to successfully execute the desired change (e.g., quitting or reducing smoking) under challenging circumstances.

Validity

The validity of the RMQ has been established through research focusing primarily on its construct validity and predictive utility. Studies (e.g., Crittenden et al., 1994, 1998) demonstrated that the RMQ scores correlated meaningfully with external criteria, such as current smoking status, history of past quit attempts, and future intentions.

Specifically, the scale exhibits strong predictive validity, as higher scores on the readiness and motivation subscales are associated with a greater probability of subsequent attempts to quit and successful short-term reduction or cessation. This indicates that the RMQ effectively measures the underlying psychological constructs that drive successful behavioral change in smokers.

Reliability

The reliability of the RMQ has been explored through assessments of internal consistency and stability over time. Research has focused on ensuring that the scale provides consistent measures of the stage of readiness to change, which is inherently a dynamic construct. Morera et al. (1998) addressed the stability and reliability of the scale, particularly within intervention contexts.

Overall, the RMQ possesses acceptable psychometric considerations, indicating that its subscales are internally consistent. The stability of the measure over short periods is crucial for tracking progress during intervention trials, confirming its utility as a reliable tool for assessing motivational shifts.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the RMQ reveals a clear structure comprising three distinct factors, which correspond directly to the theoretical constructs the instrument is designed to measure:

• Change Smoking Behavior: This factor includes items (1, 5, 6, 9, and 10) focused on the practical steps and immediate intentions regarding quitting or reducing smoking.
• Motivation to Cut Down/Quit: This factor includes items (2, 4, 7, and 11) capturing the strength of the desire and determination to execute the behavioral change.
• Confidence (Self-Efficacy): This factor includes items (3 and 8) assessing the respondent’s level of self-efficacy—the belief in their personal capability to succeed in quitting or reducing tobacco use.

This multi-factor structure ensures that the RMQ provides a comprehensive assessment, differentiating between a smoker who is motivated but lacks confidence, versus one who has high confidence but has not yet formalized a behavioral plan.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire.

Format: Primarily fixed-response options, including binary (Yes/No) and Likert-type scales (e.g., Not at all, A little, Some, Very much).

Language Available: English.

Population Group: Adult smokers.

Age Group: Adults (18 years and older).

Population Details: Originally developed and validated on a targeted population of women with lower socioeconomic status and lower educational attainment (high school or less) attending public health clinics.

Test Methodology: Psychometric assessment tool used to stage smokers for tailored intervention delivery, often employed in community health and clinical research settings.

Keywords

Behavioral Change, Intervention, Nicotine Dependence, Psychometric Considerations, Smoking Status, Public Health Clinics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Correspondence typically related to the University of Illinois at Chicago, where much of the initial research was conducted).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Readiness and Motivation to Quit Smoking Questionnaire (RMQ) was first published in 1994. Given its origin in publicly funded health research, the instrument is widely used in non-commercial academic research and clinical settings. Researchers are advised to consult the original publications by Crittenden et al. for specific licensing or permission requirements. No fee information is provided in the source material.

Reference’s

• Crittenden, Kathleen S., Manfredi, C., Lacey, L., Warnecke, R., Parsons, J. (1994). Measuring readiness and motivation to quit smoking among women in public health clinics. Addictive Behaviors, 19(5), 497-507.
• Crittenden, Kathleen S., Manfredi, C., Lacey, L., Warnecke, R.B., Parsons, J., Cho, Y.I. (1998). Measuring readiness and motivation to quit smoking among women in public health clinics. Addictive Behaviors, 23(2), 191-199.
• Crittenden, K. S., Flay, B. R., Warnecke, R.B., (1998). The Measure of Stage of Readiness to Change: Some Psychometric Considerations. Psychological Assessment, 10(2), 182-186.
• Morera, O. F., Johnson, T. P., Freels, S., Parsons, J., Wamecke, R. B., Crittenden, K. S., & Flay, B. R. (1998). Estimating stability and reliability of stage of readiness to change in a self-help smoking intervention. (Tech. Rep. No. 98-1). Chicago: University of Illinois, Survey Research Laboratory.
• Warnecke, R. B., Morera, O., Turner, L., et al. (2001). Changes in Self-Efficacy and Readiness for Smoking Cessation among Women with High School or Less Education. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(1), 97-110.

The instrument can be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/15367230

Items of the Readiness and Motivation to Quit Smoking Questionnaire (RMQ)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Are you seriously thinking of cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke?  Yes, No
2. At present, how much do you want to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke? Not at all, A little, Some, Very much
3. If you wanted to cut down now, how sure are you that you would tie able to do it? Not at all sure, A little sure, somewhat sure, Very sure
4. How determined are you to cut down? Not at all determined, A little determined, Somewhat determined, Very determined
5. In the last year, did you ever on purpose quit smoking for at least 24 hours? Yes, No
6. Are you seriously thinking about quitting smoking? Yes, No
7. How much do you want to quit smoking? Not at all, A little, Some, Very much
8. If you decided to quit smoking completely, how sure are you that you would be able to do it? Not at all sure, A little sure, Somewhat sure, Very sure
9. Do you plan to quit smoking? Yes, No
10. If you plan to quit smoking, by when do you plan to quit? 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, More than 6 months
11. If you plan to quit smoking, how determine are you to quit? Not at all determined, A little determined, Somewhat determined, Very determined

Factor Groupings:

• Change Smoking Behavior: (Items 1, 5, 6, 9, and 10)
• Motivation to Cut Down/Quit: (Items 2, 4, 7, and 11)
• Confidence: (Items 3 and 8)