Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1996 Apr;50(2):170–173. doi: 10.1136/jech.50.2.170

Importance of participation rate in sampling of data in population based studies, with special reference to bone mass in Sweden.

H Düppe 1, P Gärdsell 1, B S Hanson 1, O Johnell 1, B E Nilsson 1
PMCID: PMC1060247  PMID: 8762383

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of participation rate in sampling on "normative" bone mass data. DESIGN: This was a comparison between two randomly selected samples from the same population. The participation rates in the two samples were 61.9% and 83.6%. Measurements were made of bone mass at different skeletal sites and of muscle strength, as well as an assessment of physical activity. SETTING: Malmö, Sweden. SUBJECTS: There were 230 subjects (117 men, 113 women), aged 21 to 42 years. RESULTS: Many subjects participated in both studies (163). Those who took part only in the study with the higher participation rate (67) almost invariably had higher values for bone mass density at the sites measured (up to 7.6% for men) than participants in the study with the lower participation rate. No differences in muscle strength were recorded. CONCLUSION: A high degree of compliance is important to achieve a reliable result in determining normal values in population based studies.

Full text

PDF
171

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cummings S. R., Black D. M., Nevitt M. C., Browner W. S., Cauley J. A., Genant H. K., Mascioli S. R., Scott J. C., Seeley D. G., Steiger P. Appendicular bone density and age predict hip fracture in women. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. JAMA. 1990 Feb 2;263(5):665–668. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Düppe H., Gärdsell P., Johnell O., Nilsson B. E. Bone mineral content in women: trends of change. Osteoporos Int. 1992 Sep;2(5):262–265. doi: 10.1007/BF01624153. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Halioua L., Anderson J. J. Lifetime calcium intake and physical activity habits: independent and combined effects on the radial bone of healthy premenopausal Caucasian women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Mar;49(3):534–541. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/49.3.534. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hui S. L., Slemenda C. W., Johnston C. C., Jr Baseline measurement of bone mass predicts fracture in white women. Ann Intern Med. 1989 Sep 1;111(5):355–361. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-111-5-355. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Janzon L., Hanson B. S., Isacsson S. O., Lindell S. E., Steen B. Factors influencing participation in health surveys. Results from prospective population study 'Men born in 1914' in Malmö, Sweden. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1986 Jun;40(2):174–177. doi: 10.1136/jech.40.2.174. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Matkovic V., Fontana D., Tominac C., Goel P., Chesnut C. H., 3rd Factors that influence peak bone mass formation: a study of calcium balance and the inheritance of bone mass in adolescent females. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Nov;52(5):878–888. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/52.5.878. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Pirie P. L., Elias W. S., Wackman D. B., Jacobs D. R., Jr, Murray D. M., Mittelmark M. B., Luepker R. V., Blackburn H. Characteristics of participants and nonparticipants in a community cardiovascular disease risk factor screening: the Minnesota Heart Health Program. Am J Prev Med. 1986 Jan-Feb;2(1):20–25. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Sandler R. B., Slemenda C. W., LaPorte R. E., Cauley J. A., Schramm M. M., Barresi M. L., Kriska A. M. Postmenopausal bone density and milk consumption in childhood and adolescence. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 Aug;42(2):270–274. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/42.2.270. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Seeman E., Hopper J. L., Bach L. A., Cooper M. E., Parkinson E., McKay J., Jerums G. Reduced bone mass in daughters of women with osteoporosis. N Engl J Med. 1989 Mar 2;320(9):554–558. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198903023200903. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Smith D. M., Nance W. E., Kang K. W., Christian J. C., Johnston C. C., Jr Genetic factors in determining bone mass. J Clin Invest. 1973 Nov;52(11):2800–2808. doi: 10.1172/JCI107476. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Snow-Harter C., Bouxsein M., Lewis B., Charette S., Weinstein P., Marcus R. Muscle strength as a predictor of bone mineral density in young women. J Bone Miner Res. 1990 Jun;5(6):589–595. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.5650050608. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES