title: Effectiveness of various mailing strategies among nonrespondents in a prospective cohort study.
abstract: Measures of association in prospective studies can be distorted by incomplete follow-up. Various mailing strategies were used to contact 12,233 cohort members of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who had not responded to three successive bulk-rate mailings. Response rates were highest, 79.5% overall, from participants who were sent a certified mailing in phase 1 (63.2%), followed by a repeat certified mailing to nonrespondents (44.3%). Although altering the physical appearance of the envelope and using other postal rates were tested, certified mail was the most effective approach for reaching study members who were nonrespondents to a mailed questionnaire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rimm
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stampfer
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Colditz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giovannucci
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011177:Postal Service; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires