Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
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 (17)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by JOOSTE, P L
Right arrow Articles by ROSSOUW, J E
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by JOOSTE, P L
Right arrow Articles by ROSSOUW, J E
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1990 Oxford University Press

research-article

Drop-out and Newcomer Bias in a Community Cardiovascular Follow-up Study

P L JOOSTE, D YACH, H J STEENKAMP, J L BOTHA* and J E ROSSOUW**

Research Institute for Nutritional Diseases and Centre for Epidemiological Research in Southern Africa, South African Medical Research Council PO Box 70, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.

Jooste P L (Research Institute for Nutritional Diseases and Centre for Epidemiological Research in Southern Africa, South African Medical Research Council, PO Box 70, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa) Yach D, Steenkamp H J, Botha J L and Rossouw J E. Drop-out and newcomer bias in a community cardiovascular follow-up study. International Journal of Epidemiology 1990; 19: 284–289.

Bias resulting from a loss of baseline subjects at follow-up (drop-out), and newcomer bias resulting from subjects entering the study at the follow-up stage, were investigated in a three-community coronary risk factor follow-up study. The study consisted of a cross-sectional baseline study on 7188 participants aged 15 to 64 years, a four-year intervention period and a follow-up cross-sectional study in the same communities on 6283 participants aged 19 to 68 years. The overall non-response rate of 45% in men and 42% in women varied from 30 to 79% in the various age and sex groups, with the biggest drop-out rate occurring in the youngest age group of 15 to 24 years. At baseline drop-outs were more likely to have lower educational qualifications than those who participated in both the baseline and follow-up studies (stayers) and included significantly more smokers than non-smokers. Coronary risk factors of newcomers were not different from that of the stayers at follow-up except for slightly, but not significantly, higher smoking rates in newcomers. These findings suggest that drop-out and newcomer bias need to be assessed and its effect studied before final evaluation of data in community follow-up studies.

Revised 1 October 1989


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Eur J Public HealthHome page
A. Dotinga, C. T.M. Schrijvers, A. J.J. Voorham, and J. P. Mackenbach
Correlates of stages of change of smoking among inhabitants of deprived neighbourhoods
Eur J Public Health, April 1, 2005; 15(2): 152 - 159.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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.