title: The reproducibility of the self-report of occupational exposure to asbestos and dust.
abstract: The reproducibility of self-reported exposure to asbestos and dust was examined in 116 male veterans who completed an initial mail survey and subsequent occupational clinic questionnaire a mean of 213 +/- 68 days later. For the 114 subjects who answered the asbestos question of the mail survey, 68 (60%) gave concordant replies, while 46 (40%) gave discordant answers later in the clinic. Of 51 subjects who answered yes to asbestos exposure in the clinic, 11 (22%) had answered no and 13 (26%) had answered not sure. Failure to note asbestos exposure could not be blamed exclusively on past, relatively low-level of exposure because many of the respondents had significant exposure histories. For dust exposure, 31 (29%) had discordant replies and 77 (71%) had concordant answers. Self-reported history of occupational exposure to asbestos and dust were not as reproducible as the smoking history and may be underreported when mail survey methods alone are used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Physiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garshick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D001194:Asbestos