RESUMO
AIMS: According to 'the continuum of resistance model' late respondents can be used as a proxy for non-respondents in estimating non-response bias. In the present study, the validity of this model was explored and tested in three surveys on alcohol consumption. METHODS: The three studies collected their data by means of mailed questionnaires on alcohol consumption whereby two studies also performed a non-response follow-up. RESULTS: Comparisons of early respondents, late respondents and non-respondents in one study showed some support for 'the continuum of resistance model', although another study could not confirm this result. Comparison of alcohol consumption between three time response groups showed no significant linear pattern of differences between response waves. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis that late respondents are more similar to non-respondents than early respondents, could not be confirmed or rejected. Repeated mailings are effective in obtaining a greater sample size, but seem ineffective in improving the representativeness of alcohol consumption surveys.
Assuntos
Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/epidemiologia , Projetos de Pesquisa , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Viés , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Coleta de Dados/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Países Baixos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
In a non-response follow-up study, non-respondents of the original mailed questionnaire were approached again by house visits in order to compare their alcohol consumption with that of the respondents of the same mailed questionnaire. Differences in alcohol consumption between respondents and non-respondents were found. There is strong evidence for overrepresentation of non-response among abstainers, but weak evidence among frequent excessive drinkers.
