How Accurately Do Young Adults Recall Childhood Pets? A Validation Study

American Journal of Epidemiology, Aug 2009

Epidemiologic research shows that pets influence human health, demonstrating both protective and deleterious health risks; therefore, valid definitions of pet exposure would enhance research. The authors determined how well young adults aged 18 years report their early childhood pets. Subjects in an established birth cohort from Detroit, Michigan, born in 1987–1989 (n = 820) were asked a series of questions about pets in the home during their first 6 years of life. Pet recall was compared with annual prospectively collected parental report from 12–18 years prior. Exposure to cats was correctly reported on average 86.3% of the time (95% confidence interval: 85.0, 87.5) and dogs 79.2% (95% confidence interval: 77.7, 80.6) of the time (P < 0.01). Cats and dogs were more likely to be underreported than overreported, from as few as 1.8-fold to as many as 8.3-fold (P < 0.05). Reporting differed by sex of the respondent and current pet ownership. No differences were found in reporting by those who experienced allergy symptoms near dogs or cats. Findings suggest good reliability of young adult pet reporting for ages 0–6 years but that childhood pet exposure may need to be assessed separately depending on the participant's sex and the outcome of interest.

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How Accurately Do Young Adults Recall Childhood Pets? A Validation Study

How Accurately Do Young Adults Recall Childhood Pets? A Validation Study Charlotte Nicholas Ganesa Wegienka Suzanne Havstad Dennis Ownby Christine Cole Johnson Edward Zoratti American Journal of Epidemiology ª The Author 2009. Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: . Epidemiologic research shows that pets influence human health, demonstrating both protective and deleterious health risks; therefore, valid definitions of pet exposure would enhance research. The authors determined how well young adults aged 18 years report their early childhood pets. Subjects in an established birth cohort from Detroit, Michigan, born in 1987-1989 (n ¼ 820) were asked a series of questions about pets in the home during their first 6 years of life. Pet recall was compared with annual prospectively collected parental report from 12-18 years prior. Exposure to cats was correctly reported on average 86.3% of the time (95% confidence interval: 85.0, 87.5) and dogs 79.2% (95% confidence interval: 77.7, 80.6) of the time (P < 0.01). Cats and dogs were more likely to be underreported than overreported, from as few as 1.8-fold to as many as 8.3-fold (P < 0.05). Reporting differed by sex of the respondent and current pet ownership. No differences were found in reporting by those who experienced allergy symptoms near dogs or cats. Findings suggest good reliability of young adult pet reporting for ages 0-6 years but that childhood pet exposure may need to be assessed separately depending on the participant's sex and the outcome of interest. animals, domestic; asthma; cats; cohort studies; dogs; hypersensitivity; mental recall; validation studies Correspondence to Charlotte Nicholas, 1 Ford Place, 3E, Detroit, MI 48202 (e-mail: ). - Epidemiologic research suggests that pet exposure may influence human health starting in utero and continuing into adulthood (1–9). Several large birth-cohort studies investigating early-life factors related to allergic disorders have particularly focused on the role of pets (1–3). Pets have exhibited both protective and deleterious associations with human health, and investigations into the effects of pet exposure on health will likely continue. Although a number of birth cohort studies have obtained prospectively collected pet data (1–3), in numerous studies exposure history is based on participant recall (4–7). In many such studies, childhood pet ownership (i.e., number of cats and/or dogs) is based on self-report without additional measures to verify or ensure accuracy of the report, potentially leading to bias and conflicting results. There is little evidence in the literature to quantify the accuracy of self-report of this important information for epidemiologic investigations (8). Our goal in these analyses was to determine the accuracy of self-reported early childhood pet exposure by participants aged 18 years in a birth cohort study by comparing their reports with prospective data on household pets collected from their parents by annual questionnaires during the participants’ first 6 years of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subject recruitment and selection The methodology for the Childhood Allergy Study has been fully described elsewhere (9). In summary, pregnant women aged 18 years or older from a geographically defined area of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, who belonged to a health maintenance organization affiliated with the Henry Ford Health System and had an estimated date of confinement between April 15, 1987, and August 31, 1989, were eligible for the study. Study enrollment included providing written informed consent, completing a predelivery interview, and having cord blood collected at delivery. Women were asked to complete annual telephone questionnaires on the anniversary of their child’s birth until (and including) the child’s sixth birthday. Answers to questions on environmental exposures, including household pets, were obtained in these yearly interviews in addition to information on the child’s allergic and nonallergic disease outcomes. Upon conclusion of the Childhood Allergy Study, 835 families remained eligible for enrollment in follow-up studies. Recently, we contacted this original Childhood Allergy Study cohort of 835 children to obtain updated health information through age 18 years. After their 18th birthday, teens were contacted to complete 1) a telephone-administered interview and 2) a clinical evaluation. Of the 835 teens eligible when the Childhood Allergy Study ended, 15 withdrew from the study or otherwise became ineligible prior to the follow-up at age 18 years. Of the remaining 820 teens, 48 were unable to be evaluated (40 could not be contacted, 3 were enlisted in the military, 3 had medical conditions precluding them from a personal interview, and 2 were incarcerated), leaving 772 teens eligible to participate. Of the 772 teens eligible, 670 (86.8%) consented to study enrollment. The (...truncated)


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Charlotte Nicholas, Ganesa Wegienka, Suzanne Havstad, Dennis Ownby, Christine Cole Johnson, Edward Zoratti. How Accurately Do Young Adults Recall Childhood Pets? A Validation Study, American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009, pp. 388-392, 170/3, DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwp139