title: [EC Respiratory Health Surgery in the north of Italy: methodological problems of a multicenter study of prevalence of asthma].
abstract: The EC Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) design is presented: the survey aim is to estimate asthma prevalence and risk factors distribution in the various European countries population. In Italy three centres are involved: Pavia, Turin and Verona. EC Health Respiratory Survey is an international two stages cross-sectional survey on probability samples of general population aimed to asses asthma prevalence in different countries. In the first stage a random sample was sent a Screening Questionnaire by post; in the second stage a subsample was invited to clinical centres in order to undergo lung function tests, allergy tests and a standardised clinical interview. The analysis of the response pattern in Italy shows that both in stage 1 and in stage 2 a selection bias overestimating real prevalence is present. Some methodological issues concerning the design of cross sectional surveys are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Statistica Medicare Biometria, Istituto di Igiene, Università di Verona.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: DeMarco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marinoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugiani
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lo Cascio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests