Estimating true prevalence through questionnaire data

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

Dokumenter

  • Fulltext

    Forlagets udgivne version, 2,93 MB, PDF-dokument

We present a general analytical method for obtaining unbiased prevalence estimates based on data from regional or national testing programs, where individual participation in the testing program is voluntary but where additional questionnaire data is collected regarding the individual-level reason/motivation for being tested. The approach is based on re-writing the conditional probabilities for being tested, being infected, and having symptoms, so that a series of equations can be defined that relate estimable quantities (from test data and questionnaire data) to the result of interest (an unbiased estimate of prevalence). The final estimates appear to be robust based on prima-facie examination of the temporal dynamics estimated, as well as agreement with an independent estimate of prevalence. Our approach demonstrates the potential strength of incorporating questionnaires when testing a population during an outbreak, and can be used to help obtain unbiased estimates of prevalence in similar settings.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummere28908
TidsskriftJournal of Medical Virology
Vol/bind95
Udgave nummer7
ISSN0146-6615
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2023

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
Funding was provided by Statens Serum Institut, Denmark (AM). We thank Jacob Stærk-Østergaard for interesting discussions and feedback on the approach.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Medical Virology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

ID: 362698026