IJE Advance Access originally published online on March 5, 2009
International Journal of Epidemiology 2009 38(3):831-837; doi:10.1093/ije/dyp153
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Non-response to baseline, non-response to follow-up and mortality in the Whitehall II cohort
1 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
2 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
3 INSERM, U687-IFR69, France.
4 Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland.
5 University of Texas School of Public Health, Health Sciences Center, Houston, San Antonio Regional Campus Texas, USA.
* Corresponding author. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1–19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK. E-mail: j.ferrie{at}public-health.ucl.ac.uk
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Abstract |
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Background Little is known about the associations between non-response to follow-up surveys and mortality, or differences in these associations by socioeconomic position in studies with repeat data collections.
Methods The Whitehall II study of socioeconomic inequalities in health provided response status from five data collection surveys; Phase 1 (1985–88, n = 10 308), Phase 5 (1997–99, n = 6533), and all-cause mortality to 2006. Odd-numbered phases included a medical examination in addition to a questionnaire.
Results Non-response to baseline and to follow-up phases that included a medical examination was associated with a doubling of the mortality hazard in analyses adjusted for age and sex. Compared with complete responders, responders who missed one or more phases, but completed the last possible phase before they died, had a 38% excess risk of mortality. However, those who missed one or more phases including the last possible phase before death had an excess risk of 127%. There was no evidence that these associations differed by socioeconomic position.
Conclusion In studies with repeat data collections, non-response to follow-up is associated with the same doubling of the mortality risk as non-response to baseline; an association that is not modified by socioeconomic position.
Keywords Non-response to follow-up, partial response, socioeconomic inequalities, all-cause mortality, occupational cohort, white-collar
Accepted 5 January 2009
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