Epiville

Quizzes

Quiz 7, Module Bias

7. What is the effect of this misclassification on the odds ratio?

  1. Check your answers here.
Answer — The Effect:
Scenario 2
Breast cancer +
Breast cancer -
Total
Ever used lawn/garden pesticides
1244
1231
2475
Never used lawn/garden pesticides
250
305
555
Total
1494
1536
3030

OR = (1,244/250)/(1,231/305) = 1.23
Now, your effect estimates have been attenuated (i.e., biased towards the null). Again, this makes sense because you have increased your 'c' cell (D+E-) thereby increasing the denominator of your estimates. Like Scenario #1, you misclassified exposure to lawn/garden pesticides only among individuals with breast cancer. Because your misclassification is linked to disease status, this too is an example of differential misclassification in which the effect estimate was biased towards the null.