American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 153, No. 11 : 1119-1127
Copyright © 2001 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
PRACTICE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY |
Comparison of Telephone Sampling and Area Sampling: Response Rates and Within-Household Coverage
1 Department of Biostatistics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
2 Behavioral Research Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA.
3 Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
4 Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
5 Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
6 Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
Random digit dialing is used frequently in epidemiologic case-control studies to select population-based controls, even when both cases and controls are interviewed face-to-face. However, concerns persist about the potential biases of random digit dialing, particularly given its generally lower response rates. In an Atlanta, Georgia, case-control study of breast cancer among women aged 20–54 years, all of whom were interviewed face-to-face, two statistically independent control groups were compared: those obtained through random digit dialing (n = 652) and those obtained through area probability sampling (n = 640). The household screening rate was significantly higher for the area sample, by 5.5%. Interview response rates were comparable. The telephone sample estimated a significantly larger percentage (by approximately 7%) of households to have no age-eligible women. Both control groups, appropriately weighted, had characteristics similar to US Census demographic characteristics for Atlanta women, except that respondents in both control groups were more educated and more likely to be married. The authors conclude that households contacted through random digit dialing are somewhat less likely to participate in the household screening process, and if they are cooperative, some households may not disclose that age-eligible women reside therein. Investigators need to develop improved methods for screening and enumerating household members in random digit dialing surveys that target a specific subpopulation, such as women.
case-control studies; data collection; epidemiologic methods; interviews; random digit dialing; sampling studies; selection bias
Abbreviations: APS, area probability sampling; PUMS, Public Use Microdata Sample; RDD, random digit dialing.
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