■纵向研究是了解健康风险因素的关键,幸福,和疾病,然而,如果研究邀请和参与是非随机的,则关联可能存在偏见.宗教/精神信仰和行为(RSBB)越来越被认为与健康有潜在的重要关系。然而,目前尚不清楚RSBB是否与研究参与相关.我们检查RSBB是否与参与纵向出生队列ALSPAC(父母和子女的Avon纵向研究)有关。
■使用了三个RSBB因素:宗教信仰(信仰上帝/神力;是/不确定/否),宗教信仰(基督教/无/其他),和宗教出席(出席礼拜场所的频率)。以三种方式测量参与:i)完成的问卷/诊所的总数(线性和序数模型);ii)完成最近的问卷(逻辑模型);和iii)参与的长度(生存模型)。对ALSPAC母亲进行了重复分析,他们的合作伙伴,和学习的孩子,并针对相关的社会人口混杂因素进行了调整。
■在所有三个队列中,宗教出勤与参与所有调整模型呈正相关。例如,参加礼拜场所的母亲平均每月至少完成两次问卷调查(可能的50),完成最新问卷的几率要高出50%,辍学的风险降低了25%,相对于那些没有参加的人。在调整后的分析中,宗教信仰和出席与参与无关。然而,大多数未调整的模型显示RSBB与参与之间存在关联.
■调整混杂因素后,宗教出席-不是宗教信仰或从属关系-与参加ALSPAC有关。这些结果表明,使用RSBB变量(尤其是宗教出勤)可能会导致选择偏差和虚假关联;这些潜在的偏见应在未来的研究中使用这些数据进行探索和讨论。
UNASSIGNED: Longitudinal studies are key to understanding risk factors for health, well-being, and disease, yet associations may be biased if
study invitation and participation are non-random. Religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours (RSBB) are increasingly recognised as having potentially important relationships with health. However, it is unclear whether RSBB is associated with
study participation. We examine whether RSBB is associated with participation in the longitudinal birth cohort ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal
Study of Parents and Children).
UNASSIGNED: Three RSBB factors were used: religious belief (belief in God/a divine power; yes/not sure/no), religious affiliation (Christian/none/other), and religious attendance (frequency of attendance at a place of worship). Participation was measured in three ways: i) total number of questionnaires/clinics completed (linear and ordinal models); ii) completion of the most recent questionnaire (logistic model); and iii) length of participation (survival model). Analyses were repeated for the ALSPAC mothers, their partners, and the
study children, and were adjusted for relevant socio-demographic confounders.
UNASSIGNED: Religious attendance was positively associated with participation in all adjusted models in all three cohorts. For example,
study mothers who attended a place of worship at least once a month on average completed two more questionnaires (out of a possible 50), had 50% greater odds of having completed the most recent questionnaire, and had 25% reduced risk of drop-out, relative to those who did not attend. In the adjusted analyses, religious belief and attendance were not associated with participation. However, the majority of unadjusted models showed associations between RSBB and participation.
UNASSIGNED: After adjusting for confounders, religious attendance - not religious belief or affiliation - was associated with participation in ALSPAC. These results indicate that use of RSBB variables (and religious attendance in particular) may result in selection bias and spurious associations; these potential biases should be explored and discussed in future studies using these data.