Validation of exposure assessment and assessment of recruitment methods for a prospective cohort study of mobile phone users (COSMOS) in Finland: a pilot study

Environmental Health

Research

Päivi Kurttio¹  Sirpa Heinävaara¹  Anssi Auvinen²  Kari Tokola² 

[1] Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Research and Environmental Surveillance, Health Risks and Radon Safety, Laippatie 4, 00880, Helsinki, Finland;Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Research and Environmental Surveillance, Health Risks and Radon Safety, Laippatie 4, 00880, Helsinki, Finland;Tampere School of Public Health, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland;

关键词: Mobile Phone;    Network Operator;    Exposure Assessment;    Operator Record;    Call Duration;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-069X-10-14

 received in 2010-06-30, accepted in 2011-03-08,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to evaluate the agreement between self-reported and operator-derived estimates of call time based on a three-month monitoring period, as well as the consistency of mobile phone use over time. Alternative approaches to improve participation in a cohort study of mobile phone users were also compared.MethodsA total of 5,400 subjects were identified from network operators' subscriber databases for recruitment to the pilot study. Operator and questionnaire data were used to quantify mobile phone use. Operator data were available for a subset of the subjects for a three-month period in three consecutive years. We also evaluated the effect of the length of the questionnaire and one- or two-phase recruitment on participation.ResultsThe average response rate for both questionnaires and recruitment procedures was 12%. The response rate was not affected by the length of the questionnaire or the recruitment method.Operator data were available for 83% of the participants for 2007, the first study year. The agreement between self-reported and operator-derived call times decreased with the level of use among intermediate and heavy mobile phone users. During 2007-2009, mobile phone use increased fairly constantly over time.ConclusionsThe agreement between self-reported mobile phone use and operator databases was moderate and overestimation of the call time by participants was common. A prospective cohort study would be feasible in Finland, although the potentially low participation rate would increase the resources required for recruitment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Heinävaara et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011