| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 135, No. 5: 564-570
Copyright © 1992 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
research-article |
Validity of Exposure Data Derived from a Structured Questionnaire
From the Academic Department of Public Health, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School London, England
Reprint requests to Dr. Michael Joffe, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Academic Department of Public Health, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Norfolk Race, London W2 1PG, England
It is often convenient to obtain occupational exposure information directly from employees. However, there is little published evidence on the validity of such data. Information from a short, pre-coded, structured questionnaire, administered by nonexpert interviewers, was compared with information derived from management in five factories in the printing and plastics industries in England in 1986. Values of sensitivity ranged from 24% to 85% for eight different exposures, and specificity was at least 67% for seven of the eight agents. Those exposures which were described in chemically specific terms tended to have relatively higher specificities but lower sensitivities. Male workers' reports tended to have higher sensitivity but lower specificity compared with those of female workers. Workers who had been employed in the company for more than 10 years were no more accurate than their colleagues. Subjects who reported a phase of subfertility or at least one miscarriage did not have a higher proportion of false positives than the population as a whole, indicating an absence of reporting bias. Major improvements are highly desirable, especially to reduce underreporting of exposures. The use of workers' own names for agents may improve reporting.
environmental exposure; occupational exposure; questionnaires; validation
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  P. A. McKinney, O. Y. Raji, M. van Tongeren, and R. G. Feltbower The UK Childhood Cancer Study: maternal occupational exposures and childhood leukaemia and lymphoma Radiat Prot Dosimetry, December 1, 2008; 132(2): 232 - 240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M.-L. Lindbohm, P. Ylostalo, M. Sallmen, M.-L. Henriks-Eckerman, T. Nurminen, H. Forss, and H. Taskinen Occupational exposure in dentistry and miscarriage Occup. Environ. Med., February 1, 2007; 64(2): 127 - 133. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. C Glass and M. R Sim The challenges of exposure assessment in health studies of Gulf War veterans Phil Trans R Soc B, April 29, 2006; 361(1468): 627 - 637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G L Delclos, A A Arif, L Aday, A Carson, D Lai, C Lusk, T Stock, E Symanski, L W Whitehead, F G Benavides, et al. Validation of an asthma questionnaire for use in healthcare workers. Occup. Environ. Med., March 1, 2006; 63(3): 173 - 179. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K Teschke, A F Olshan, J L Daniels, A J De Roos, C G Parks, M Schulz, T L Vaughan, and H Kromhout Occupational exposure assessment in case-control studies: opportunities for improvement Occup. Environ. Med., September 1, 2002; 59(9): 575 - 594. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. S. Bakke, R. Hanoa, and A. Gulsvik Relation of Occupational Exposure to Respiratory Symptoms and Asthma in a General Population Sample: Self-reported versus Interview-based Exposure Data Am. J. Epidemiol., September 1, 2001; 154(5): 477 - 483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. L. Daniels, A. F. Olshan, K. Teschke, I. Hertz-Picciotto, D. A. Savitz, and J. Blatt Comparison of Assessment Methods for Pesticide Exposure in a Case-Control Interview Study Am. J. Epidemiol., June 15, 2001; 153(12): 1227 - 1232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Kaerlev, P. S. Teglbjaerg, S. Sabroe, H. A Kolstad, W. Ahrens, M. Eriksson, A. L. González, P. Guénel, L. Hardell, G. Launoy, et al. Occupation and small bowel adenocarcinoma: a European case-control study Occup. Environ. Med., November 1, 2000; 57(11): 760 - 766. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 X. Ou Shu, P. Stewart, W.-Q. Wen, D. Han, J. D. Potter, J. D. Buckley, E. Heineman, and L. L. Robison Parental Occupational Exposure to Hydrocarbons and Risk of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Offspring Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., September 1, 1999; 8(9): 783 - 791. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. S. Newman Occupational Illness N. Engl. J. Med., October 26, 1995; 333(17): 1128 - 1134. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|