Socioeconomic differences in smoking in an urban Swedish population. The bias introduced by non-participation in a mailed questionnaire
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Socioeconomic differences in smoking in an urban Swedish population. The bias introduced by non-participation in a mailed questionnaire. / Boström, G; Hallqvist, J; Haglund, B J; Romelsjö, A; Svanström, L; Diderichsen, Finn.
I: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. Supplement, Bind 21, Nr. 2, 1993, s. 77-82.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Socioeconomic differences in smoking in an urban Swedish population. The bias introduced by non-participation in a mailed questionnaire
AU - Boström, G
AU - Hallqvist, J
AU - Haglund, B J
AU - Romelsjö, A
AU - Svanström, L
AU - Diderichsen, Finn
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
N2 - Stockholm Health of the Population Study is a cross-sectional study carried out from 1984-85. Postal questionnaires, telephone interviews and health interviews were used to get information from a sample of 5,199 persons, 18-64 years of age, on health status, risk exposures, healthcare consumption and social factors. Non-participation with respect to the postal questionnaire was 36.8%. With subsequent telephone interviews and an invitation to a health interview, non-participation was reduced to 17.8%. The estimated prevalence of daily smoking increased from 36.1% to 38.7. The non-responders had a higher prevalence of daily smoking in all sub-groups. This effect of the efforts to reduce non-participation differed socially. The prevalence of smoking for men, 40-64 years of age, who were reached by telephone was 60.3%. Male professionals and intermediate non-manual workers, 40-64 years of age reached by telephone had a prevalence of smoking, which was twice as high as for the responders of the questionnaire (62.5 and 26.8%, respectively). In the younger age-group, non-responders had the same socioeconomic pattern in smoking as the responders. Independent of socioeconomic group, there was a tendency of ill or disabled smokers to respond more quickly than healthy smokers. Using a postal questionnaire with a high non-response rate might lead to an overestimation of socioeconomic differences and an underestimation of smoking prevalence.
AB - Stockholm Health of the Population Study is a cross-sectional study carried out from 1984-85. Postal questionnaires, telephone interviews and health interviews were used to get information from a sample of 5,199 persons, 18-64 years of age, on health status, risk exposures, healthcare consumption and social factors. Non-participation with respect to the postal questionnaire was 36.8%. With subsequent telephone interviews and an invitation to a health interview, non-participation was reduced to 17.8%. The estimated prevalence of daily smoking increased from 36.1% to 38.7. The non-responders had a higher prevalence of daily smoking in all sub-groups. This effect of the efforts to reduce non-participation differed socially. The prevalence of smoking for men, 40-64 years of age, who were reached by telephone was 60.3%. Male professionals and intermediate non-manual workers, 40-64 years of age reached by telephone had a prevalence of smoking, which was twice as high as for the responders of the questionnaire (62.5 and 26.8%, respectively). In the younger age-group, non-responders had the same socioeconomic pattern in smoking as the responders. Independent of socioeconomic group, there was a tendency of ill or disabled smokers to respond more quickly than healthy smokers. Using a postal questionnaire with a high non-response rate might lead to an overestimation of socioeconomic differences and an underestimation of smoking prevalence.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Adult
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Health Surveys
KW - Humans
KW - Incidence
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Smoking
KW - Social Class
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
KW - Sweden
KW - Urban Population
U2 - 10.1177/140349489302100204
DO - 10.1177/140349489302100204
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 8367686
VL - 21
SP - 77
EP - 82
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Supplement
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Supplement
SN - 1403-4956
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 40346565