Validation of questionnaire information on risk factors and disease outcomes in a prospective cohort study of women.
To assess the validity of self-reported illnesses, medical records were reviewed for participants reporting major illnesses on the biennial follow-up questionnaires used in a prospective cohort study which began in 1976. In over 90% of cases of cancer of the breast, skin, large bowel, and thyroid, histopathology reports confirmed the subjects' self-report. Lower levels of confirmation were obtained for cancers of the lung, ovary, and uterus. Application of strict diagnostic criteria also gave lower levels of confirmation for myocardial infarction (68%) and stroke (66%). Among random samples of women reporting fractures and hypertension all records obtained confirmed self-reports. For self-reported elevated cholesterol levels 85.7% of self-reports were confirmed. Self-report is a valuable epidemiologic tool but may require additional documentation when the disease is diagnostically complex.
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
D002784:Cholesterol