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Research Article
Ashleigh Cara Stewart
Burnet Institute
Corresponding Author
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Background There are significant challenges associated with studies of people released from custodial settings, including loss to follow-up in the community. Interpretation of findings with consideration of differences between those followed up and those not followed up is critical in the development of evidence-informed policies and practices. We describe attrition bias in the Prison and Transition Health (PATH) prospective cohort study, and strategies employed to minimise attrition.
Methods PATH involves 400 men with a history of injecting drug use recruited from three prisons in Victoria, Australia. Four interviews were conducted: one pre-release (‘baseline’) and three interviews at approximately 3, 12, and 24 months post-release (‘follow-up’). We assessed differences in baseline characteristics between those retained and not retained in the study, using two-sample tests of proportions and t-tests.
Results Most participants (85%) completed at least one follow-up interview and 162 (42%) completed all three follow-up interviews. Retained participants were younger than those lost to follow-up (mean diff − 3.1 years, 95% CI -5.3, -0.9). There were no other statistically significant differences observed in baseline characteristics.
Conclusion The high proportion of participants retained in the PATH cohort study via comprehensive follow-up procedures, coupled with extensive record linkage to a range of administrative datasets, is a considerable strength of the study. Our findings highlight how strategic and comprehensive follow-up procedures, frequent contact with participants and secondary contacts, and established working relationships with the relevant government departments can improve study retention and potentially minimise attrition bias.
Keywords
attrition bias, people in prison, people who inject drugs, cohort study
Figure 1
No competing interests reported.
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CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 12 May, 2021
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Editorial decision: Major revision
On 09 Aug, 2021
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Received 07 Aug, 2021
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On 04 Aug, 2021
Reviews received
Received 31 May, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 26 May, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 25 May, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 23 May, 2021
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On 23 May, 2021
Editor invited
On 11 May, 2021
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On 11 May, 2021
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Subject Areas
Biochemical Research Methods
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A new preprint design is coming!
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Medical Research Methodology. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Ashleigh Cara Stewart
Burnet Institute
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 12 May, 2021
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 09 Aug, 2021
Reviews received
Received 07 Aug, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 04 Aug, 2021
Reviews received
Received 31 May, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 26 May, 2021
Reviewers agreed
On 25 May, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 23 May, 2021
Editor assigned
On 23 May, 2021
Editor invited
On 11 May, 2021
Submission checks complete
On 11 May, 2021
First submitted
On 09 May, 2021
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Biochemical Research Methods
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background There are significant challenges associated with studies of people released from custodial settings, including loss to follow-up in the community. Interpretation of findings with consideration of differences between those followed up and those not followed up is critical in the development of evidence-informed policies and practices. We describe attrition bias in the Prison and Transition Health (PATH) prospective cohort study, and strategies employed to minimise attrition.
Methods PATH involves 400 men with a history of injecting drug use recruited from three prisons in Victoria, Australia. Four interviews were conducted: one pre-release (‘baseline’) and three interviews at approximately 3, 12, and 24 months post-release (‘follow-up’). We assessed differences in baseline characteristics between those retained and not retained in the study, using two-sample tests of proportions and t-tests.
Results Most participants (85%) completed at least one follow-up interview and 162 (42%) completed all three follow-up interviews. Retained participants were younger than those lost to follow-up (mean diff − 3.1 years, 95% CI -5.3, -0.9). There were no other statistically significant differences observed in baseline characteristics.
Conclusion The high proportion of participants retained in the PATH cohort study via comprehensive follow-up procedures, coupled with extensive record linkage to a range of administrative datasets, is a considerable strength of the study. Our findings highlight how strategic and comprehensive follow-up procedures, frequent contact with participants and secondary contacts, and established working relationships with the relevant government departments can improve study retention and potentially minimise attrition bias.
Figure 1
No competing interests reported.
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