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Evaluation of occupational and leisure time exposure assessment in a population-based case control study on leukaemia

Tinnerberg, Håkan LU ; Björk, Jonas LU and Welinder, Hans LU (2001) In International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 74(8). p.533-540
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To increase the credibility of retrospective exposure assessments. documentation of the procedures and presentation of measures on quality control is recommended. The aim of this study was to present and evaluate the procedures used in a case-control study on leukaemia. METHODS: A series of 1,087 cases and matched controls were interviewed. Exposure assessments were performed for 13 occupational agents and ten leisure-time activities and the confidence of the assessments was coded. The exposure assessments were performed blind by three occupational hygienists. Ten percent of the interviews were reassessed by two of the three occupational hygienists. RESULTS: The leisure-time activities contributed to a large extent to the... (More)
OBJECTIVES: To increase the credibility of retrospective exposure assessments. documentation of the procedures and presentation of measures on quality control is recommended. The aim of this study was to present and evaluate the procedures used in a case-control study on leukaemia. METHODS: A series of 1,087 cases and matched controls were interviewed. Exposure assessments were performed for 13 occupational agents and ten leisure-time activities and the confidence of the assessments was coded. The exposure assessments were performed blind by three occupational hygienists. Ten percent of the interviews were reassessed by two of the three occupational hygienists. RESULTS: The leisure-time activities contributed to a large extent to the overall prevalence of exposure. For organic solvents approximately 25% of the controls classified as exposed would be misclassified if leisure-time exposure were not considered. The proportions of subject assessments with low confidence were higher for next-of-kin than for in-person interviews. A negative correlation was seen between the proportions of assessments with low confidence and the reliability. A significant difference was seen in the inter-rater comparison between cases and controls when the reliability was calculated for each assessed period; no difference was seen for the subject assessments used for relative risk estimation. CONCLUSION: When low-dose exposure in epidemiological studies are being assessed there is an obvious risk of misclassification if leisure-time activities are not included. Furthermore, the reliability of the assessments may suffer if next-of-kin interviews are used to a large extent. For cancers with poor prognoses, prospective studies are preferable to minimise possible information bias. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Misclassification, Assessment, Retrospective, Reliability, Hobby
in
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
volume
74
issue
8
pages
533 - 540
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:11768041
  • scopus:0035182171
ISSN
1432-1246
DOI
10.1007/s004200100265
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e40783bf-a1bd-4433-a9dd-812d1d229b44 (old id 1121251)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:58:15
date last changed
2022-01-28 23:28:26
@article{e40783bf-a1bd-4433-a9dd-812d1d229b44,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVES: To increase the credibility of retrospective exposure assessments. documentation of the procedures and presentation of measures on quality control is recommended. The aim of this study was to present and evaluate the procedures used in a case-control study on leukaemia. METHODS: A series of 1,087 cases and matched controls were interviewed. Exposure assessments were performed for 13 occupational agents and ten leisure-time activities and the confidence of the assessments was coded. The exposure assessments were performed blind by three occupational hygienists. Ten percent of the interviews were reassessed by two of the three occupational hygienists. RESULTS: The leisure-time activities contributed to a large extent to the overall prevalence of exposure. For organic solvents approximately 25% of the controls classified as exposed would be misclassified if leisure-time exposure were not considered. The proportions of subject assessments with low confidence were higher for next-of-kin than for in-person interviews. A negative correlation was seen between the proportions of assessments with low confidence and the reliability. A significant difference was seen in the inter-rater comparison between cases and controls when the reliability was calculated for each assessed period; no difference was seen for the subject assessments used for relative risk estimation. CONCLUSION: When low-dose exposure in epidemiological studies are being assessed there is an obvious risk of misclassification if leisure-time activities are not included. Furthermore, the reliability of the assessments may suffer if next-of-kin interviews are used to a large extent. For cancers with poor prognoses, prospective studies are preferable to minimise possible information bias.}},
  author       = {{Tinnerberg, Håkan and Björk, Jonas and Welinder, Hans}},
  issn         = {{1432-1246}},
  keywords     = {{Misclassification; Assessment; Retrospective; Reliability; Hobby}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{533--540}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health}},
  title        = {{Evaluation of occupational and leisure time exposure assessment in a population-based case control study on leukaemia}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004200100265}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s004200100265}},
  volume       = {{74}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}