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Validity of subject self-report for acne
Chandrakala Menon1, Katrina Gipson, Whitney P Bowe
1Department of Dermatology and Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 6, 2008
Summary
Self-reported acne data in studies is not highly reliable. College students
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Epidemiology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Acne prevalence studies frequently rely on self-reported data.
- The accuracy of self-reported acne information is often assumed rather than validated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of self-reported acne data.
- To compare self-assessment of acne with trained observer examinations.
Main Methods:
- University students completed an acne questionnaire.
- Trained observers concurrently examined students for acne.
- Validity metrics included sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value.
- Agreement was assessed using Cohen's kappa and correct classification percentage.
Main Results:
- Self-report sensitivity was 0.55 (95% CI 0.47-0.63).
- Specificity was 0.72 (95% CI 0.63-0.80).
- Positive predictive value was 0.70 (95% CI 0.61-0.78).
- Negative predictive value was 0.57 (95% CI 0.49-0.65).
- Cohen's kappa indicated fair agreement (0.26; 95% CI 0.15-0.38).
- Correct classification percentage was 63%.
Conclusions:
- The validity of self-reported acne is moderate at best.
- Fair agreement between self-report and examination suggests college students inaccurately report acne status.
- Self-reported acne data may be insufficient for clinical or research purposes.
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