title: Recall (report) bias and reliability in the retrospective assessment of melanoma risk.
abstract: In a case-control study nested in the Nurses' Health Study cohort, the authors assessed recall bias in the ascertainment of two risk factors for melanoma: hair color and ability to tan. Participants reported on these risk factors in a 1982 questionnaire and in a subsequent case-control questionnaire or telephone interview. The test-retest reliability among controls was high for both questions (Spearman's r = 0.76). Among women diagnosed with melanoma after the first questionnaire and before the second, there was a substantial shift toward reporting a reduced ability to tan when participants were questioned after the diagnosis of melanoma (p = 0.035). No shift was noted for the hair color question (p = 0.8). The authors conclude that recall bias was observed among female nurses with cutaneous melanoma in the assessment of tanning ability, a major risk factor for melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dermatology Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI 02908.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weinstock
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Colditz
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stampfer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Speizer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015982:Bias; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires