Meta-analysis, a statistical tool for combining results across studies, is becoming popular as a method for resolving discrepancies in genetic association studies. Persistent difficulties in obtaining robust, replicable results in genetic association studies are almost certainly because genetic effects are small, requiring studies with many thousands of subjects to be detected. In this article,...

OBJECTIVES To examine the extent of variation in public health agency spending levels across communities and over time, and to identify institutional and community correlates of this variation. DATA SOURCES AND SETTING Three cross-sectional surveys of the nation's 2,900 local public health agencies conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials in 1993, 1997, and 20...

When Orville Wright flew his airplane over a small stretch of rolling grassland in 1903, the managing editor of Scientific American predicted that thousands of planes would soon fly over every city, delivering patrons to theaters. On the eve of the First World War, two famous British aviators argued that planes would prevent wars in the future (because they brought people together). Scientists,...

BACKGROUND Often in survey research, subsets of the population invited to complete the survey do not respond in a timely manner and valuable resources are expended in recontact efforts. Various methods of improving response have been offered, such as reducing questionnaire length, offering incentives, and utilizing reminders; however, these methods can be costly. Utilizing characteristics of ea...

Research into the changes in the frequency of sexual intercourse is (with few exceptions) limited to cross-sectional analyses of marital duration. We investigate the frequency of intercourse while taking into account relationship duration as well as the duration of cohabitation and marriage, effects of parenthood, and relationship quality. For the analysis we apply fixed effects regression mode...

Evidence relating to dietary change is contradictory, as some studies document a lack of dietary change while other studies report a degree of success in the implementation and maintenance of long-term dietary change. The present cross-sectional survey aimed to establish the prevalence of dietary change in a community sample, with a focus on four mechanisms of dietary change: two mechanisms wit...

In Senegal, only 60% of mothers in rural areas deliver in health facilities. Mothers' satisfaction with their facility-based childbirth experience is one of the factors in their choosing to deliver in such facilities in subsequent pregnancies. The objective of this study was to assess whether compliance with childbirth care based on the mothers' perception of facility-based childbirth care cont...

Descriptive epidemiology research involves collecting data from large numbers of subjects. Obtaining these data requires approaches designed to achieve maximum participation or response rates among respondents possessing the desired information. We analyze participation and response rates in a population-based epidemiological study though a telephone survey and identify factors implicated in co...

BACKGROUND Lower socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in high-income countries, but this association is unclear in low-income and middle-income countries. METHODS We investigated the association of SEP with attempted suicide in a cross-sectional survey of 165 233 Sri Lankans. SEP data were collected at the household (assets, social standing (...