Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of a Moroccan Arabic version of the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22070977 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Salma Ghofrane Moutawakkil (0000-0002-8935-1928, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University), Abdelfettah El-Ammari (Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University), Abdelfettah El‐Ammari (0009-0003-1809-6178, École Normale Supérieure), Samir El Gnaoui (American Society of Addiction Medicine), Karima El Rhazi (0000-0002-8135-9044, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University), Btissame Zarrouq (0000-0002-2996-8459, École Normale Supérieure) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1815960-1815960 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1815960 |
| PMID | 42254615 |
| OpenAlex | W7162102400 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Background: Early identification of nicotine dependence symptoms is essential for tobacco control and prevention strategies. The Hooked On Nicotine Checklist (HONC) is widely used to assess early symptoms of nicotine dependence. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Moroccan Arabic version of the HONC. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among a sample of 234 Moroccan smokers. The HONC was translated and adapted following established guidelines. Descriptive statistics and item-total correlations were examined. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Dimensionality was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with the WLSMV estimator. IRT analyses were conducted using a two-parameter logistic (2PL) model. Assumptions of unidimensionality, monotonicity, and local independence were systematically tested. Item discrimination and difficulty parameters, item characteristic curves, and test information functions were estimated. Results: /df = 1.34; CFI = 0.998; TLI = 0.998; RMSEA = 0.038; SRMR = 0.059), with substantial standardized loadings (0.629-0.952). Monotonicity and local independence assumptions were fulfilled. Discrimination parameters were generally high (a = 1.40-4.69) and difficulties were mostly negative (b ≈ -0.64 to 0.00), suggesting that the scale is most informative at lower to moderate levels of nicotine dependence. Conclusion: The Moroccan Arabic HONC is a reliable and valid measure of early nicotine dependence. It can be confidently used for research, screening, and tobacco control interventions
Arabic · Checklist · Confirmatory factor analysis · Item response theory · Logistic regression · Nicotine · Nicotine dependence · Psychometrics · Structural equation modeling · Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study · Smoking Behavior and Cessation · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Item Response Theory
Adapting Educational and Psychological Tests for Cross-Cultural Assessment
Critical Values for Yen’s Q 3
Factor Analytic Models
Determinants of Tobacco Use and Renaming the FTND to the Fagerstrom Test for Cigarette Dependence
The neural basis of drug craving
Correlation Coefficients
Scaling Performance Assessments
An Introduction to Item Response Theory for Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement
Mirt
When can categorical variables be treated as continuous? A comparison of robust continuous and categorical SEM estimation methods under suboptimal conditions.
The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Guidelines for the Process of Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Report Measures
The sirens’ call in psychometrics
Item Parameter Recovery
Early symptoms of nicotine dependence among adolescent waterpipe smokers
Assessment of nicotine dependence symptoms in adolescents
The assessment of tobacco dependence in young users of smokeless tobacco
Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests
Best Practices for Developing and Validating Scales for Health, Social, and Behavioral Research
Multimodel Inference
| Highly cited | No |
|---|