Validity of self-report of lipid medication use: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the validity of self-reported lipid medication use in an epidemiological study.


METHODS
We studied medication self-reports compared with inventoried lipid medication containers at the fifth visit of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study in 2011-2013 (n = 6370). To assess the validity of self-reports, we computed sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. We used multiple logistic regression to determine whether validity varied by participant characteristics. Comparisons were made with visit 4 (n = 11,531), to determine if there was a change in validity as the pattern and types of lipid medication used changed over time.


RESULTS
The prevalence of lipid medication use, according to medication containers was higher at visit 5 (56%) than visit 4 (14.3%). Statins were increasingly used. The percentage of participants reporting use/non-use accurately was 91.8% at visit 5, lower than visit 4 (97.3%). The unadjusted kappa coefficient of agreement was 0.83 (95% CI - 0.82 to 0.85) at visit 5 and 0.89 (95% CI - 0.88 to 0.90) at visit 4. Agreement was higher, compared with their counterparts, for women, younger and more educated participants, and those using fewer total medications.


CONCLUSIONS
In this population sample, self-reported lipid medication use was highly accurate and therefore likely would be for similar epidemiological studies or clinical settings collecting this information.
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, USA. Electronic address: bhask007@umn.edu.
Sahiti
S
Bhaskara
Cardiovascular Disease Program, Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bank of America Center, Suite 301-B, 137 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. Electronic address: eric_whitsel@unc.edu.
Eric A
EA
Whitsel
Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 6565 Fannin Street, Suite A656, MS A601, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: cmb@bcm.tmc.edu.
Christie M
CM
Ballantyne
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, USA. Electronic address: folso001@umn.edu.
Aaron R
AR
Folsom
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008055:Lipids
Lipid medication; Medication use; Statins; Validation study