Bakke P, Gulsvik A, Lilleng P, Overå O, Hanoa R, Eide G E
Department of Thoracic Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 1990 Dec;44(4):316-20. doi: 10.1136/jech.44.4.316.
The aim was to examine causes for non-response in a community survey, and how non-response influences prevalence estimates of some exposure and disease variables, and associations between the variables.
This was a cross sectional questionnaire study with two reminder letters. The questionnaire asked for information on smoking habits, occupational airborne exposure and respiratory disorders.
A random sample of 4992 subjects from the general population aged 15-70 years of Hordaland County, Norway.
The overall response rate was 90%, with a 63% response to the initial letter. The response rates to the first and second reminder letters were 56% and 36% respectively. In 20% of the non-respondents an uncompleted questionnaire was returned with cause for non-response; in two thirds of these the cause for non-response was that the subject was not resident at the mailing address. A home visit to a random sample of 50 urban non-respondents provided further information on 29 subjects. A wrong address at the Central Population Registry and the subject's feeling of lack of personal benefit from a postal survey were the major reasons for non-response. Smokers were late respondents and subjects with respiratory disorders tended to be early respondents.
The main reasons for non-response were a wrong mailing address and a feeling of lack of personal benefit from responding. Using only the initial letter would have changed the estimated prevalence of smokers from 39% to 35%. Otherwise, the estimated prevalence of the exposure and disease variables as well as the associations between them were only slightly changed after including the respondents to the first and second reminder letters.
本研究旨在调查社区调查中无应答的原因，以及无应答如何影响某些暴露和疾病变量的患病率估计，以及这些变量之间的关联。
这是一项横断面问卷调查研究，并发送了两封催复信。问卷询问了吸烟习惯、职业空气传播暴露和呼吸系统疾病的信息。
从挪威霍达兰郡15 - 70岁的普通人群中随机抽取4992名受试者。
总体应答率为90%，对初始信件的应答率为63%。对第一封和第二封催复信的应答率分别为56%和36%。在20%的无应答者中，未完成的问卷被退回并说明了无应答的原因；其中三分之二无应答的原因是受试者不住在邮寄地址。对50名城市无应答者的随机样本进行家访，获得了另外29名受试者的更多信息。中央人口登记处的错误地址以及受试者认为邮政调查对个人无益处是无应答的主要原因。吸烟者回复较晚，患有呼吸系统疾病的受试者往往回复较早。
无应答的主要原因是邮寄地址错误以及认为回复对个人无益处。仅使用初始信件会使吸烟者的估计患病率从39%变为35%。否则，在纳入对第一封和第二封催复信做出应答的人之后，暴露和疾病变量的估计患病率以及它们之间的关联仅略有变化。
