Non-response bias in estimates of HIV prevalence due to the mobility of absentees in national population-based surveys: a study of nine national surveys
نویسندگان
چکیده
OBJECTIVES To measure the bias in national estimates of HIV prevalence in population-based surveys caused by mobility and refusal to test. METHODS Data from nine demographic and health surveys and AIDS indicator surveys were used. Non-responders were divided into three groups: (i) "refusals" who were interviewed but not tested; (ii) "refusals" who were present in the household but not interviewed or tested; and (iii) "absentees" who were absent from the household. Correction for HIV status was made for the non-responders using multiple imputation methods with logistic regression models based on a common set of household-level and individual-level sociodemographic and behavioural factors for those tested and stratified by mobility status. RESULTS The non-response groups were corrected to have higher risks of HIV than those who participated in the HIV tests, although these were only detected to be statistically significant in some of the countries. In Lesotho, the corrected prevalence for the absent household members was significantly higher than for those who were present in the household. However, the adjusted prevalences differed by less than a percentage point from the prevalences observed among those who were tested, so the overall effects of non-response on national estimates of HIV prevalence are minimal. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that the mobility of absentees does not substantially bias estimates of HIV prevalence from population-based surveys. None the less, if levels of non-response are high or if non-responders differ greatly from those who participate in HIV testing with respect to HIV status, non-response could still bias national estimates of HIV prevalence.
منابع مشابه
Protocols for Population-Based Surveys Conducted to Assess the Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Islamic Republic of Iran
Protocols for Population-Based Surveys Conducted to Assess the Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Islamic Republic of Iran Sahand Riazi-Isfahani1, Zhaleh Adbi1, Elham Ahmadnezhad1, * 1National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Abstract Background: In the age of sustainable development, paying attention to the quality and quantity of health infor...
متن کاملEvaluation of bias in HIV seroprevalence estimates from national household surveys
OBJECTIVES To evaluate HIV seroprevalence estimates from demographic and health surveys (DHS) and AIDS indicator surveys (AIS) for potential bias because of non-response and exclusion of non-household population groups. METHODS Data are from 14 DHS/AIS surveys with HIV testing, conducted during 2003-6. Blood samples were collected and analysed for HIV using standard laboratory and quality con...
متن کاملHIV testing in national population-based surveys: experience from the Demographic and Health Surveys.
OBJECTIVES To describe the methods used in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to collect nationally representative data on the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and assess the value of such data to country HIV surveillance systems. METHODS During 2001-04, national samples of adult women and men in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, United Repu...
متن کاملNational HIV prevalence estimates for sub-Saharan Africa: controlling selection bias with Heckman-type selection models
OBJECTIVES Population-based HIV testing surveys have become central to deriving estimates of national HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. However, limited participation in these surveys can lead to selection bias. We control for selection bias in national HIV prevalence estimates using a novel approach, which unlike conventional imputation can account for selection on unobserved factors. ME...
متن کاملAssessing and adjusting for differences between HIV prevalence estimates derived from national population-based surveys and antenatal care surveillance, with applications for Spectrum 2013
OBJECTIVE(S) To assess differences between HIV prevalence estimates derived from national population surveys and antenatal care (ANC) surveillance sites and to improve the calibration of ANC-derived estimates in Spectrum 2013 to more appropriately account for differences between these data. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of national population survey and ANC surveillance data from 25 countries...
متن کامل