5th International AIDS Conference


Montreal, Quebec, Canada — Jun 4-9, 1989

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Completeness and accuracy of risk factor information in a general population surveillance of HIV infection.

Int Conf AIDS 1989 Jun 4-9; 5:165 (abstract no. A.526)
Perucci CA, Arca M, Carboni A, Orchi N, Spadea T; Regional Epidemiology Unit, Rome, Italy

OBJECTIVE: To detect and quantify the biases due to missing information about risk factor in data from a general population surveillance of HIV.

METHODS: Anonymous notification of every confirmed anti-HIV positivity, including available information on risk factor, has been collected by the Latium R.E.U. from local laboratories since October 1985. Multiple notifications referring to the same subject are linked using the available individual data as keys. Further steps are the linkages with clinical follow-up records and notifications of AIDS cases. Every step makes the information about risk factor more complete.

RESULTS: TABULAR DATA, SEE ABSTRACT VOLUME.

CONCLUSIONS: Willingness of reporting risk factors and validity of surveillance system in assessing them are likely to vary among risk categories. This may result in biased risk factor distributions when based on available information. Use of different sources improves completeness of surveillance data and suggests a way for reducing biases. Data presented must be analyzed by time of testing to take into account changes over time in size and direction of the considered biases.

Keywords: AEGIS, Population Surveillance, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Risk Factors, HIV Seropositivity, epidemiology, ICA5KWDaegis,populationsurveillance,hivinfections,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,riskfactors,hivseropositivity,epidemiology,ica5

890604
A526

Copyright © 1989 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.