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Correcting for selective participation in cohort studies using auxiliary register data without identification of non-participants

Bonander, Carl ; Nilsson, Anton LU ; Bergström, Göran M.L. ; Björk, Jonas LU and Strömberg, Ulf (2021) In Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 49(4). p.449-456
Abstract

Aims: Selective participation may hamper the validity of population-based cohort studies. The resulting bias can be alleviated by linking auxiliary register data to both the participants and the non-participants of the study, estimating propensity scores for participation and correcting for participation based on these. However, registry holders may not be allowed to disclose sensitive data on (invited) non-participants. Our aim is to provide guidance on how adequate bias correction can be achieved by using auxiliary register data but without disclosing information that could be linked to the subset of non-participants. Methods: We show how existing methods can be used to estimate generalisation weights under various data disclosure... (More)

Aims: Selective participation may hamper the validity of population-based cohort studies. The resulting bias can be alleviated by linking auxiliary register data to both the participants and the non-participants of the study, estimating propensity scores for participation and correcting for participation based on these. However, registry holders may not be allowed to disclose sensitive data on (invited) non-participants. Our aim is to provide guidance on how adequate bias correction can be achieved by using auxiliary register data but without disclosing information that could be linked to the subset of non-participants. Methods: We show how existing methods can be used to estimate generalisation weights under various data disclosure scenarios where invited non-participants are indistinguishable from uninvited ones. We also demonstrate how the methods can be implemented using Nordic register data. Results: Inverse-probability-of-sampling weights estimated within a random sample of the target population in which the non-respondents are disclosed are equivalent in expectation to analogous weights in a scenario where the non-participants and uninvited individuals from the population are indistinguishable. To minimise the risk of disclosure when the entire population is invited to participate, investigators should instead consider inverse-odds-of-sampling weights, a method that has previously been suggested for transporting study results to external populations. Conclusions: Generalisation weights can be estimated from auxiliary register data without disclosing information on invited non-participants.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
External validity, inverse probability weighting, non-response, selection bias, transportability
in
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
volume
49
issue
4
pages
8 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85077145266
  • pmid:31826719
ISSN
1403-4948
DOI
10.1177/1403494819890784
project
Nya statistiska ansatser för att bedöma betydelsen av selektion och variation i befolkningsbaserade kohort- och screeningundersökningar
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f89d0f4f-660b-478d-853b-b3c325806d1a
date added to LUP
2020-01-17 12:02:39
date last changed
2024-06-12 07:18:17
@article{f89d0f4f-660b-478d-853b-b3c325806d1a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aims: Selective participation may hamper the validity of population-based cohort studies. The resulting bias can be alleviated by linking auxiliary register data to both the participants and the non-participants of the study, estimating propensity scores for participation and correcting for participation based on these. However, registry holders may not be allowed to disclose sensitive data on (invited) non-participants. Our aim is to provide guidance on how adequate bias correction can be achieved by using auxiliary register data but without disclosing information that could be linked to the subset of non-participants. Methods: We show how existing methods can be used to estimate generalisation weights under various data disclosure scenarios where invited non-participants are indistinguishable from uninvited ones. We also demonstrate how the methods can be implemented using Nordic register data. Results: Inverse-probability-of-sampling weights estimated within a random sample of the target population in which the non-respondents are disclosed are equivalent in expectation to analogous weights in a scenario where the non-participants and uninvited individuals from the population are indistinguishable. To minimise the risk of disclosure when the entire population is invited to participate, investigators should instead consider inverse-odds-of-sampling weights, a method that has previously been suggested for transporting study results to external populations. Conclusions: Generalisation weights can be estimated from auxiliary register data without disclosing information on invited non-participants.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bonander, Carl and Nilsson, Anton and Bergström, Göran M.L. and Björk, Jonas and Strömberg, Ulf}},
  issn         = {{1403-4948}},
  keywords     = {{External validity; inverse probability weighting; non-response; selection bias; transportability}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{449--456}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Public Health}},
  title        = {{Correcting for selective participation in cohort studies using auxiliary register data without identification of non-participants}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1403494819890784}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1403494819890784}},
  volume       = {{49}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}