The healthy men study: design and recruitment considerations for environmental epidemiologic studies in male reproductive health.
OBJECTIVE
To describe study design, conduct and response, and participant characteristics.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Participants were male partners of women who were enrolled in a community-based prospective cohort study of drinking water disinfection by-products and pregnancy health.


METHODS
Two hundred thirty presumed fertile men recruited from 3 study sites in the United States.


METHODS
Men completed a telephone interview about demographics, health history, and exposures and provided a semen sample that was express mailed to the study laboratory.


METHODS
Response and participation rates, participant demographics, and lifestyle exposures.


RESULTS
We obtained a high participation rate (84%) among men who were located, but a low overall response rate (25%). Participants were more likely to be white, more highly educated, be married, and have a higher household income than the underlying study cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
Our multisite study design may be applicable to the study of community environmental factors and reproductive health of men. Our design was efficient in that men from geographically disparate sites could be recruited, a semen sample was collected at home, and a telephone interview was conducted from a central study site. Despite these design features, the low response rates may suggest selection bias that can be addressed partially in the analysis.
Olshan
Andrew F
AF
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA. andy_olshan@unc.edu
Perreault
Sally D
SD
Bradley
Lorrie
L
Buus
Rebecca M
RM
Strader
Lillian F
LF
Jeffay
Susan C
SC
Lansdell
Lyle
L
Savitz
David A
DA
Herring
Amy
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012107:Research Design; D015983:Selection Bias; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis