Characteristics of respondents and nonrespondents in a prospective study of osteoporosis
Related Experiment Videos
L K Heilbrun1, P D Ross, R D Wasnich
1Division of Hematology-Oncology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48202.
Insights
This study on osteoporosis in elderly Japanese Americans found that while non-responders were older and had higher blood pressure, key health factors were similar, suggesting minimal nonresponse bias in this cohort.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Epidemiology
- Bone Health Research
Background:
- Osteoporosis is a significant public health concern, particularly in aging populations.
- Understanding potential biases in cohort studies is crucial for accurate epidemiological findings.
- Previous heart disease examination data were available for participants in an osteoporosis cohort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess nonresponse characteristics in a cohort study of elderly Japanese Americans investigating osteoporosis.
- To determine if nonrespondents differ significantly from respondents in ways that could bias exposure-disease associations.
- To evaluate the impact of nonresponse on the validity of findings in osteoporosis research.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of elderly Japanese Americans in Hawaii was recruited for an osteoporosis study.
- Baseline data from a prior heart disease examination were used to compare responders (81.8% men, 72.0% women) and nonresponders.
- Over 40 variables were compared between responders and nonresponders to identify potential biases.
Main Results:
- Nonrespondents were older and had higher systolic blood pressure compared to respondents in both sexes.
- Male nonrespondents exhibited higher stroke prevalence and more frequent vasodilator use; female nonrespondents had less hormone therapy history.
- Despite these differences, responders and nonresponders were similar across most of the other 40+ variables examined.
Conclusions:
- Nonresponse bias is likely not a major influence on exposure-disease associations within this osteoporosis cohort.
- The study provides valuable insights into nonresponse characteristics in epidemiological research on osteoporosis.
- This is believed to be the first report detailing nonresponse in an osteoporosis cohort study.
Abstract:
During 1981-1982, a cohort of elderly Japanese Americans living in Hawaii was recruited for an epidemiologic study of osteoporosis. The male subjects were simultaneously being examined for an epidemiologic study of heart disease. Baseline data collected from both the men and women at a previous heart disease examination were used to compare responders vs nonresponders. The target population for the osteoporosis study consisted of 1685 men and 1594 women. Of these, 1379 men (81.8%) and 1105 women (72.0%) participated in the initial osteoporosis examination. For each sex, nonrespondents were older and had higher systolic blood pressure levels than did the respondents. Male nonresponders had a higher stroke prevalence and more frequent recent use of vasodilator medicine. Female nonresponders had a less frequent history of having ever taken female hormones than did the responders. The responders and nonresponders were reasonably similar in other respects, as indicated by the comparison of more than 40 other variables. This suggests that nonresponse bias is probably not a major influence in exposure-disease associations in this osteoporosis cohort. We believe this is the first published report dealing with nonresponse characteristics in a cohort study of osteoporosis.