Effectiveness of various mailing strategies among nonrespondents in a prospective cohort study.
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.
Rimm
E B
EB
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
Stampfer
M J
MJ
Colditz
G A
GA
Giovannucci
E
E
Willett
W C
WC
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