title: Selection of neighborhood controls for a population-based Lyme disease case-control study by using a commercial marketing database.
abstract: The selection of controls is an important methodological consideration for case-control studies. Neighborhood-matched control selection is particularly crucial for studies of vector-borne disease, such as Lyme disease, for which risk is intrinsically linked to geographical location. The matching of case-control pairs on neighborhood can help control for variation in ecological risk factors that are tied to geographical location, like vector and host habitat in the peridomestic environment. Random-digit dialing has been used to find neighborhood controls by using the area code and exchange of the case to generate lists of potential control households. An alternative to random-digit dialing is the purchase of residential telephone numbers from a commercial marketing database. This report describes the utility of the InfoUSA.com (InfoGroup, Papillion, Nebraska) commercial marketing database for neighborhood control recruitment in a Lyme disease case-control study in Connecticut during 2005-2007.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Neeta P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Connally
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yousey-Hindes
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meek
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003237:Connecticut; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D018579:Patient Selection; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Lyme disease; case-control studies; data collection; geographic information systems; methodological study; telephone