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Article
Reliability of Reporting on Life-Style and Agricultural Factors by a Sample of Participants in the Agricultural Health Study from Iowa
Epidemiology
  • Aaron Blair, National Cancer Institute
  • Robert Tarone, National Cancer Institute
  • Dale Sandler, National Institute of Environmental Health
  • Charles F. Lynch, University of Iowa
  • Andrew Rowland, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  • Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University
  • William C. Steen, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-2002
Abstract

Repeat interviews from 4,088 Iowa pesticide applicators participating in the Agricultural Health Study provided the opportunity to evaluate the reliability of self-reported information on pesticide use and various demographic and life-style factors. Self-completed questionnaires were administered 1 year apart when participants returned to county agricultural extension offices for pesticide certification or training. Percentage agreement for ever-/never-use of specific pesticides and application practices was quite high, generally ranging from 70% to more than 90%, and did not vary by age, educational level, or farm size. Agreement was lower (typically 50–60%) for duration, frequency, or decade of first use of specific pesticides. Level of agreement regarding pesticide use in this population is similar to that generally found for factors typically used in epidemiologic studies such as tobacco use and higher than typically reported for diet, physical activity, and medical conditions.

Comments

This article is published as Blair, Aaron, Robert Tarone, Dale Sandler, Charles F. Lynch, Andrew Rowland, Wendy Wintersteen, William C. Steen, Claudine Samanic, Mustafa Dosemeci, and Michael CR Alavanja. "Reliability of reporting on life-style and agricultural factors by a sample of participants in the Agricultural Health Study from Iowa." Epidemiology 13, no. 1 (2002): 94-99. Posted with permission.

Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Aaron Blair, Robert Tarone, Dale Sandler, Charles F. Lynch, et al.. "Reliability of Reporting on Life-Style and Agricultural Factors by a Sample of Participants in the Agricultural Health Study from Iowa" Epidemiology Vol. 13 Iss. 1 (2002) p. 94 - 99
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/wendy-wintersteen/17/