What we don't know can hurt us: Nonresponse bias assessment in XXXX research.

@entity1 @entity13797 @entity600
BACKGROUND: Nonresponse bias assessment is an important and underutilized tool in survey research to assess potential bias due to incomplete participation. This study illustrates a nonresponse bias sensitivity assessment using a survey on perceived barriers to care for @entity1 with @entity13797 in North Carolina. METHODS: @entity1 born in North Carolina between 2001 and 2004 with an @entity13797 were eligible for inclusion. Vital statistics data, including maternal and @entity1 characteristics, were available on all eligible subjects. Missing 'responses' from nonparticipants were imputed using assumptions based on the distribution of responses, survey method (mail or phone), and @entity1 maternal demographics. RESULTS: Overall, 245 of 475 subjects (51.6%) responded to either a mail or phone survey. Cost as a barrier to care was reported by 25.0% of @entity1 . When stratified by survey type, 28.3% of mail respondents and 17.2% of phone respondents reported cost as a barrier. Under various assumptions, the bias-adjusted estimated prevalence of cost as barrier to care ranged from 16.1% to 30.0%. Maternal age, education, race, and marital status at time of birth were not associated with subjects reporting cost as a barrier. CONCLUSION: As survey response rates continue to decline, the importance of assessing the potential impact of nonresponse bias has become more critical. @entity600 research is particularly conducive to nonresponse bias analysis, especially when @entity600 registries and birth certificate records are used. Future @entity600 studies which use population-based surveillance data and have incomplete participation could benefit from this type of nonresponse bias assessment. @entity600 Research (Part A) 103:603-609, 2015.    2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
