R: Difficulties identifying and targeting COPD and population-attributable risk of smoking for COPD: a population study. Chest 2005, 128(4):2035-2042. Pre-publication history The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www. biom

Study objectives: Respiratory public health interventions depend on accurate identification of the target group, yet this may vary depending on the diagnostic criteria used. We therefore compared the relative performance of various international criteria in identifying COPD cases. The burden of COPD due to smoking can only be determined from population-attributable risk (PAR) studies. These studies, lacking in the COPD literature, are necessary research in support of public health initiatives for COPD. In this representative population study, we also assessed the PAR for current and ex-smokers. Design: A representative biomedical population sample of 2,501 South Australians aged> 18 years (The Northwest Adelaide Health [Cohort] Study). COPD diagnosis and severity were determined according to various FEV1/FVC and FEV1 percentage of predicted criteria recom-mended by international respiratory authorities. Demographic, health behavior, and quality-of-life data were obtained by telephone interview and self-completed questionnaire