Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29925318›Full record

ArticleBMC medical research methodology2018

Modelling attrition and nonparticipation in a longitudinal study of prostate cancer.

Samantha Spiers, Evrim Oral, Elizabeth T H Fontham, Edward S Peters, James L Mohler, Jeannette T Bensen, Christine S Brennan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Predictors of Retention in the 1Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Over Two Waves.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025
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  7. Head and neck cancer patients with geriatric deficits are more often non-responders and lost from follow-up in quality of life studies.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Samantha SpiersLSUHSC, School of Public Health, Biostatistics Program, New Orleans, USA.
Evrim OralLSUHSC, School of Public Health, Biostatistics Program, New Orleans, USA. eoral@lsuhsc.edu.
Elizabeth T H FonthamLSUHSC, School of Public Health, Epidemiology Program, New Orleans, USA.
Edward S PetersLSUHSC, School of Public Health, Epidemiology Program, New Orleans, USA.
James L MohlerDepartment of Urology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, USA.
Jeannette T BensenLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Christine S BrennanLSUHSC, School of Public Health, Health Policy and Systems Management Program, New Orleans, USA.
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans · USRoswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center · USUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · US

Funding

Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer ProjectR15CA151031 · NCI · LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER · PI BRENNAN, CHRISTINE SHEEHAN · 2010 to 2010
$375k
NCI NIH HHS R15 CA151031
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAttrition occurs when a participant fails to respond to one or more study waves. The accumulation of attrition over several waves can lower the sample size and power and create a final sample that could differ in characteristics than those who drop out. The main reason to conduct a longitudinal study is to analyze repeated measures; research subjects who drop out cannot be replaced easily. Our group recently investigated factors affecting nonparticipation (refusal) in the first wave of a population-based study of prostate cancer. In this study we assess factors affecting attrition in the second wave of the same study. We compare factors affecting nonparticipation in the second wave to the ones affecting nonparticipation in the first wave.

methodsInformation available on participants in the first wave was used to model attrition. Different sources of attrition were investigated separately. The overall and race-stratified factors affecting attrition were assessed. Kaplan-Meier survival curve estimates were calculated to assess the impact of follow-up time on participation.

resultsHigh cancer aggressiveness was the main predictor of attrition due to death or frailty. Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index increased the odds of attrition due to death or frailty only in African Americans (AAs). Young age at diagnosis for AAs and low income for European Americans (EAs) were predictors for attrition due to lost to follow-up. High cancer aggressiveness for AAs, low income for EAs, and lower patient provider communication scores for EAs were predictors for attrition due to refusal. These predictors of nonparticipation were not the same as those in wave 1. For short follow-up time, the participation probability of EAs was higher than that of AAs.

conclusionsPredictors of attrition can vary depending on the attrition source. Examining overall attrition (combining all sources of attrition under one category) instead of distinguishing among its different sources should be avoided. The factors affecting attrition in one wave can be different in a later wave and should be studied separately.

Indexed as

Logistic ModelsAdultAgedBlack or African AmericanFollow-Up StudiesHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPatient ParticipationProstatic NeoplasmsRisk FactorsUnited StatesWhite PeopleAttritionLongitudinal studyNonresponse biasProstate cancerUnit nonresponse

Identifiers

PMID29925318
PMCPMC6011525
OpenAlexW2809616443

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.