Gilboa Suzanne M, Mendola Pauline, Olshan Andrew F, Savitz David A, Herring Amy H, Loomis Dana, Langlois Peter H, Keating Kristen
Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2006 Jan;76(1):60-5. doi: 10.1002/bdra.20221.
State vital records are often used to select population-based controls in record-linkage studies of birth defects. However, locating and contacting individuals based on these data sources to collect additional data can be a challenge.
A large case-control study of air quality and birth defects was conducted in 7 Texas counties in which cases were selected from the Texas Birth Defects Registry and controls from state vital records. In 2004, data from these sources were used to trace mothers of cases and controls who delivered babies in the year 2000 (n=2477) for participation in a computer-assisted telephone interview. A number of factors that predicted whether an individual would be located and interviewed were identified.
Between March and August 2004, 38% of the mothers were located, and 38% of the located mothers were interviewed. Case mothers were more likely than control mothers to be located (44 vs. 30%) and, if located, to be interviewed (43 vs. 31%). We compared the characteristics of mothers who were not located (case n=760; control n=777), mothers who were located but not interviewed (case n=344; control n=236), and mothers who were interviewed (case n=256; control n=104). Among both cases and controls, older mothers (>or=30 years) were more likely than younger mothers to be located, and non-Hispanic black mothers were least likely to be located and interviewed.
Despite the utility of vital records as a source of population-based controls in record-linkage analyses, the poor response rate discourages the use of these data sources to contact individuals for a follow-up study 4 years after delivery.
在出生缺陷的记录链接研究中，国家生命统计记录常被用于选择基于人群的对照。然而，基于这些数据源查找并联系个体以收集额外数据可能是一项挑战。
在得克萨斯州的7个县开展了一项关于空气质量与出生缺陷的大型病例对照研究，病例选自得克萨斯州出生缺陷登记处，对照选自国家生命统计记录。2004年，利用这些数据源的数据追踪2000年分娩婴儿的病例和对照的母亲（n = 2477），以便参与计算机辅助电话访谈。确定了一些预测个体是否能被找到并接受访谈的因素。
2004年3月至8月期间，38%的母亲被找到，在被找到的母亲中，38%接受了访谈。病例母亲比对照母亲更有可能被找到（44%对30%），并且如果被找到，更有可能接受访谈（43%对31%）。我们比较了未被找到的母亲（病例n = 760；对照n = 777）、被找到但未接受访谈的母亲（病例n = 344；对照n = 236）以及接受访谈的母亲（病例n = 256；对照n = 104）的特征。在病例组和对照组中，年龄较大的母亲（≥30岁）比年龄较小的母亲更有可能被找到，非西班牙裔黑人母亲被找到并接受访谈的可能性最小。
尽管生命统计记录在记录链接分析中作为基于人群的对照来源很有用，但较低的响应率不利于使用这些数据源在分娩4年后联系个体进行后续研究。
