Sj. Bowlin et al., VALIDITY OF CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE RISK-FACTORS ASSESSED BY TELEPHONESURVEY - THE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEY, Journal of clinical epidemiology, 46(6), 1993, pp. 561-571
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Medicine, General & Internal
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects teleph
one interview data on behaviors for the leading causes of premature de
ath and disability. Its validity has never been adequately studied. Th
e authors replicated BRFSS methodology to validate self-reported cardi
ovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Nine-hundred and eleven subjects
from three upstate New York counties were interviewed between 1/89 an
d 5/90. Interviewees were offered physical examinations and laboratory
testing for CVD risk factors; 282 men and 344 women participated. The
authors studied validity by comparing objectively measured to self-re
ported CVD risk factors. Sensitivities for self-reported hypertension,
hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking, and diabetes were: 43, 44, 74
, 82 and 75%, respectively. Only smoking sensitivity differed by gende
r: men, 77%; women, 86%. Specificity was > 85% for all risk factors, e
xcept hypercholesterolemia in men (75%). Prevalence was underreported
for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and smoking by 43, 50
, 25 and 17%, respectively. Results suggest telephone survey research
includes physiologic measurements for blood pressure, cholesterol, hei
ght, weight, and smoking to validate self-reported CVD risk factors. W
hen this is impossible, results such as these can be used, in similar
samples, to correct risk factor prevalence rates from telephone survey
s for misclassifications.