DIFFERENCES IN MORBIDITY MEASURES AND RISK FACTOR IDENTIFICATION USING MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES - THE CASE OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE

The NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Study contains several sources of information that can be used to define case status. Incidence rates an d relative risks associated with selected, documented risk factors for heart disease were estimated using nine different case definitions. D espite wide variation in the estimates of incidence, the characteristi cs of the cases were remarkably similar as were the risks associated w ith heart disease incidence. The main difference occurred when cases w ere defined on the basis of death certificate information. Cases defin ed this way are more severe and models based on this definition result in relative risks of greater magnitude.