title: Identification of Iowa live births in the Agricultural Health Study.
abstract: In the Agricultural Health Study, information on participant live births was largely provided by female partners of male private applicators. At the Iowa site, such information was available for 13,599 (42.9%) of 31,707 applicators. To improve identification of live births among Iowa participants, we used a probabilistic and deterministic approach to link available demographic data from 31,707 households and information on live births from 13,599 households with 1,014,916 Iowa birth certificates. Record linkage identified 16,611 (93.7%) of 17,719 reported live births and 17,883 additional live births, most (14,411 or 80.6%) not reported due to nonresponse by female partners. This record linkage produced an expanded cohort of live-born children among Iowa participants, which will facilitate improved study of the effects of agricultural exposures, including pesticides, on selected birth outcomes and childhood disease.
authors: Department of Epidemiology at the College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. paul-romitti@uiowa.edu
authors: Paul A
authors: PA
authors: Romitti
authors: Shinobu
authors: S
authors: Watanabe-Galloway
authors: William T
authors: WT
authors: Budelier
authors: Charles F
authors: CF
authors: Lynch
authors: Soman
authors: S
authors: Puzhankara
authors: Donna
authors: D
authors: Wong-Gibbons
authors: Jane A
authors: JA
authors: Hoppin
authors: Michael C R
authors: MC
authors: Alavanja
mesh_terms: D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000383:Agriculture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001719:Birth Certificates; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D050498:Live Birth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy