Xiong Chengjie, Tang Yuxiao, van Belle Gerald, Miller J Philip, Launer Lenore J, Bergmann Kelly R, Morris John C
Division of Biostatistics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Neuroepidemiology. 2007;28(4):235-45. doi: 10.1159/000108598. Epub 2007 Sep 19.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate statistical applications in publications on Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Three instruments/checklists were developed: Assessment of Statistical Reporting (ASR; 44 items), Survey of Statistical Designs (SSD; 10 items), and Survey of Statistical Methods (SSM; 7 items). After a pilot testing on 5 AD publications, the instruments/checklists were revised and tested for reliability with a sample of 30 AD articles and for validity with another sample of 10 AD articles from MEDLINE.
Item-specific test-retest and interrater reliability for ASR ranged from 0.29 to 1.0 with the associated standard errors (SEs) ranging from 0.01 to 0.31. The test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.97) and the interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.69-0.92) for the overall score of ASR were high. The correlational validity of the ASR with a published checklist was also high (r = 0.74, SE = 0.24). The item-specific test-retest reliability in SSD and SSM ranged from 0.58 to 1.00 with the associated SEs ranging from 0.01 to 0.32. The item-specific interrater reliability in SSD and SSM ranged from 0.17 to 1.00 with the associated SEs ranging from 0.01 to 0.22.
This study suggested that it was feasible to assess statistical applications in AD publications.
