Original reportSurvey Non-response in the Netherlands: Effects on Prevalence Estimates and Associations
Section snippets
Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms
HLEQ = Health and Life Experiences Questionnaire
Study Population
Between 1993 and 1997, in the MORGEN-project, data on health status and the prevalence of risk factors were collected in a random sample of the general population, aged 20–59 years, drawn from three towns in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam and Maastricht each year a new sample was examined and in Doetinchem, participants of an earlier study (1987 to 1991) were re-examined. A total of 50,766 persons received an invitation to participate in the MORGEN-project. Those who returned a reply card had
Results
In total, 50,766 people were approached for participation in the MORGEN-project. Finally, 22,769 persons (45%) completed the total survey including questionnaires and a medical examination (Fig. 1). Overall, response percentages were higher among women (49%) than men (41%) and were higher among older persons (30% among people aged 20–29 and 54% among people aged 50–65). Response percentages were highest in Doetinchem (68%), intermediate in Maastricht (45%) and lowest in Amsterdam (34%). A
Discussion
The response rate of 45% in the MORGEN-project was only slightly lower than published values for comparable studies in the Netherlands (50–70%) (20). This may be explained by a general increase in non-response over the past 10 years and the length of the questionnaires (21). The mean response rate in the MORGEN-project was elevated by the relatively high response rate in Doetinchem (68%), which consisted largely of a selected sub-population (participants in the previous monitoring project).
Acknowledgements
The MORGEN project was financially supported by the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports of The Netherlands and the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment. The authors thank the epidemiologists and field workers of the Municipal Health Services in Amsterdam, Doetinchem and Maastricht for their important contribution to the data collection. The project steering committee consisted of Dr. H.B. Bueno de Mesquita, Dr. H.A. Smit, Dr. W.M.M. Verschuren and J.C. Seidell
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