title: [Sample selection in epidemiologic studies].
abstract: Problems with sample selection in epidemiological studies starts with the definition of representativeness of the sample. The definition of representativeness as a "miniature of the population" is impractical, especially for very rare disease, and not suitable for certain types of epidemiological studies. More plausible are operational definitions, which refer to certain statistical features of the sample or to the sampling method suitable for the study design. The article reviews different meanings of representativeness used directly or implicitly in epidemiological and statistical studies and gives examples of certain methods of sample selection for the specific purposes including matching in design. Some important sources of selection bias and methods of avoiding it are also addressed in this article.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zieliński
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011897:Random Allocation; D018401:Sample Size; D012494:Sampling Studies; D015983:Selection Bias