1. Main characteristics and participation rate of European adolescents included in the HELENA study
- Author
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Maria Plada, Germán Vicente-Rodríguez, Mathilde Kersting, Manuel J. Castillo, Stefaan De Henauw, Michael Sjöström, Jean Dallongeville, Catherine Leclercq, Sabine Dietrich, Dénes Molnár, Inge Huybrechts, Frédéric Gottrand, Laurent Béghin, Luis A. Moreno, Marcela Gonzales-Gross, Chantal C. Gilbert, Centre d'Investigation Clinique Plurithématique de Lille, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [Lille] (CHRU Lille), Inflammation: mécanismes et régulation et interactions avec la nutrition et les candidoses, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Lille, Droit et Santé, Department of Public Health, Universiteit Gent = Ghent University [Belgium] (UGENT), Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development (GENUD), University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza [Zaragoza]-School of Health Sciences, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Epidémiologie des maladies chroniques : impact des interactions gène environnement sur la santé des populations, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP)-Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de Lille, Droit et Santé, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm], Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione (INRAN), INRAN, Neuromuscular Research Department Vienna (NMRD), Medizinische Universität Wien = Medical University of Vienna-Center of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Department of Medical Physiology School of Medicine, University of Granada [Granada]-Granada University School of Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine-University of Crete School of medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Pécs Medical School (UP MS), University of Pecs-University of Pecs, Research Institute of Child Nutrition Dortmund, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Department of Consumer & Sensory Sciences, Campden BRI, BMC, Ed., Universiteit Gent = Ghent University (UGENT), and Universidad de Granada = University of Granada (UGR)-Granada University School of Medicine
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Response rate (survey) ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Pediatrics ,Schools ,business.industry ,4. Education ,Public health ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Health services research ,Methodology ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Sample (statistics) ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,[SDV.SPEE] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,Epidemiology ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,medicine ,Population study ,[SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Location ,business ,Demography ,Blood sampling - Abstract
Background Participation rate and response rate are key issues in a cross sectional large-scale epidemiological study. The objective of this paper is to describe the study population and to evaluate participation and response rate as well as the key nutritional status variables in male and female adolescents involved in the HELENA study. Methods A multi-stage random cluster sampling with a target sample of 3000 adolescents aged [12.5 to 17.5] years, stratified for geographical location and age, was carried out. Information for participants and non-participants (NP) was compared, and participation and response rates to specific questionnaires were discussed. Results 3,865 adolescents aged [12.5 to 17.5] years (1,845 females) participated in the HELENA study, of whom 1,076 (568 females) participated in the blood sampling. 3,528 (1,845 females) adolescents were finally kept for statistical analysis. Participation rates for the schools and classes differed importantly between countries. The participation rate of pupils within the participating classes also differed importantly between countries. Sex ratio, mean age and BMI were similar between NP and participating adolescents within each centre, and in the overall sample. For all the questionnaires included in the database, the response rate of questionnaires was high (more than 80% of questions were completed). Conclusion From this study it could be concluded that participation rate differed importantly between countries, though no bias could be identified when comparing the key study variables between participants and non-participants. Response rate for questionnaires was very high. Future studies investigating lifestyle and health in adolescents can optimize their methods when considering the opportunities and barriers observed in the HELENA study.
- Published
- 2011
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