Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Research and Environmental Surveillance, Health Risks and Radon Safety, Laippatie 4, 00880 Helsinki, Finland.
Environ Health. 2011 Mar 8;10:14. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-10-14.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and operator-derived estimates of call time based on a three-month monitoring period, as well as the consistency of mobile phone use over time. Alternative approaches to improve participation in a cohort study of mobile phone users were also compared.
A total of 5,400 subjects were identified from network operators' subscriber databases for recruitment to the pilot study. Operator and questionnaire data were used to quantify mobile phone use. Operator data were available for a subset of the subjects for a three-month period in three consecutive years. We also evaluated the effect of the length of the questionnaire and one- or two-phase recruitment on participation.
The average response rate for both questionnaires and recruitment procedures was 12%. The response rate was not affected by the length of the questionnaire or the recruitment method.Operator data were available for 83% of the participants for 2007, the first study year. The agreement between self-reported and operator-derived call times decreased with the level of use among intermediate and heavy mobile phone users. During 2007-2009, mobile phone use increased fairly constantly over time.
The agreement between self-reported mobile phone use and operator databases was moderate and overestimation of the call time by participants was common. A prospective cohort study would be feasible in Finland, although the potentially low participation rate would increase the resources required for recruitment.
本研究旨在评估基于三个月监测期的自我报告和操作人员估计的通话时间之间的一致性，以及随着时间推移手机使用的一致性。还比较了改善手机用户队列研究参与度的其他方法。
从网络运营商的用户数据库中确定了 5400 名受试者，以招募到该试点研究中。使用操作人员和问卷调查数据来量化手机使用情况。操作人员的数据可用于连续三年三个月的部分受试者。我们还评估了问卷长度和单阶段或两阶段招募对参与度的影响。
两种问卷和招募程序的平均回复率均为 12%。回复率不受问卷长度或招募方法的影响。2007 年，即第一年研究期间，操作人员数据可用于 83%的参与者。自我报告和操作人员得出的通话时间之间的一致性随着中度和重度手机用户的使用水平而降低。在 2007-2009 年期间，手机使用随着时间的推移而相当稳定地增加。
自我报告的手机使用情况与操作人员数据库之间的一致性适中，参与者对通话时间的高估很常见。在芬兰进行前瞻性队列研究是可行的，尽管潜在的低参与率会增加招募所需的资源。
