Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42324118›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of epidemiology2026

A measurement comparability study to support instrument harmonization in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Talha Rafiq, Lauren E Griffith, Parminder Raina, Christina Wolfson, Susan A Kirkland, Cynthia Balion, Andrew P Costa, Varun Chaudhary, My Linh Duong, Danielle Glista and 5 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

15 authors.

Talha RafiqDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Lauren E GriffithDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2794-9692
Parminder RainaDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Christina WolfsonDepartment of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Susan A KirklandDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology and Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Cynthia BalionDepartment of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Andrew P CostaDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Varun ChaudharyDepartment of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
My Linh DuongDivision of Respirology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9197-2547
Danielle GlistaSchool of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Philip JosephPopulation Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Maureen J MacDonaldDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Jack ScottNational Centre for Audiology, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
David B HoganCumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Edwin van den HeuvelDepartment of Mathematics and Computer Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9157-7224

Funding

the Canada Foundation for Innovation, as well as the following provinces, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbiathe Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research LSA 94473
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Longitudinal studies are essential for understanding health trajectories, but necessary upgrades to measurement instruments over time may compromise data comparability. The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging conducted a measurement comparability study to quantify systematic differences between instruments and derive conversion equations to correct for any differences. Overall, 50 participants aged ≥45 years (52% female) underwent repeated assessments with old and new instruments, including the blood pressure monitor, electrocardiogram (ECG), carotid ultrasound, spirometer, audiometer, tonometer, and dynamometer. Linear mixed-effects models were used to identify systematic differences. Cohen's d was used to assess standardized mean difference, Bland-Altman plots evaluated agreement between instruments, and repeatability was assessed within instruments. Mixed-effects models showed no clinically meaningful difference across instruments, except for systolic blood pressure (SBP), which was on average 5.19 mmHg (95% CI, 2.64-7.74) higher using the new instrument. Cohen's d demonstrated moderate systematic differences for several measures. Repeatability estimates showed good-to-excellent reliability for most measures; however, certain ECG and tonometer parameters showed moderate or poor precision. The results support the utility of conversion equations to account for systematic differences between instruments. The difference in SBP warrants the implementation of a conversion equation, whereas it is unclear for measures with moderate differences.

Indexed as

AgingAgedCanadaCanadian Longitudinal Study on AgingElectrocardiographyFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of ResultsCanadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)conversion equationslongitudinal studiesmeasurement comparabilitymeasurement errorsystematic differences

Identifiers

PMID42324118
PMCPMC13537845

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.