The preliminary assessment of the Social Transition in the North dataset: a comparison of STN survey and enumeration data for selected Northwest Alaskan communities.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared the results from STN survey data with a mailback health study of the same communities to assess the reliability of the STN data. STUDY DESIGN. Sample characteristics and respondes to health questions were compared through secondary data analysis. Data from the STN sample was compared to an enumeration study for the same or similar questions, including demographic characteristics and health status indicators, were compared.


METHODS
The STN study used the sample of 715 households in 18 Alaskan and Russian Far East communities to obtain data on the demographic transition, epidemiological transition and domestic transition of residents in northern communities. A study of the health and human service needs was conducted in Northwest Alaska using a mailback health questionnaire within a few years of the STN study.


RESULTS
Both data sets appear to be taken from similar populations. Responses to health questions show marked similarities.


CONCLUSIONS
The comparison strongly suggests that the STN data is representative of northern Alaska communities surveyed and can be a valuable source of reliable data on the health and welfare of northern communities. The data on the self-reported prevalence of health conditions may not be useful at the community level.
Saylor
Brian
B
Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage, 99508, USA. anbls@uaa.alaska.edu
Hughes
Gary
G
D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D001110:Arctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D019456:Health Transition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012922:Social Change