This chapter discusses the simplest class of ad hoc study that can be mounted to complement the examination of routine mortality and morbidity data. Section 4.2 covers the principle of survey design, including subsections on response and issues involved in collecting accurate data. These two subsections provide considerable detail on these topics, as many of the points made are applicable to other types of study dealt with in the following chapters. The final section on statistical methods mentions the use of a few standard tests of significance, the intention being to indicate the types of situation in which such tests can or should be applied. Subsections deal with quantification of the validity of survey data and some ways of estimating the sample size required for a particular study; these two issues often receive relatively limited attention in standard statistical texts.
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© 1983 Michael Alderson
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Alderson, M. (1983). Surveys. In: An Introduction to Epidemiology. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17291-7_4
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