Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Boshuizen, H.
Right arrow Articles by Greenland, S
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Boshuizen, H.
Right arrow Articles by Greenland, S
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 26, 867-872, Copyright © 1997 by International Epidemiological Association

ARTICLES

Average age at first occurrence as an alternative occurrence parameter in epidemiology

HC Boshuizen and S Greenland
Department of Public Health and Prevention, Leiden, The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Current epidemiological methods focus mostly on incidence rates and their ratios as measures of occurrence and effect. Incidence rates and rate ratios can be hard to interpret when the outcome disease is common. METHODS: The possibilities of using an alternative measure, average age at first occurrence of the disease, are discussed. RESULTS: Methods for the analysis of average age at first occurrence are illustrated in a study of occupation and disability pension. We estimate that the average age at pension among crane drivers is only about 0.8 that of maintenance workers, regardless of the method, although the confidence intervals depend on the method. CONCLUSIONS: Average age at first occurrence is easier to interpret than the incidence rate for a very common disease. Because estimates are not readily available in software packages, we encourage further development of packaged software for this measure.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.