For each of the following, identify both the major type of bias (selection or in
ID: 3364716 • Letter: F
Question
For each of the following, identify both the major type of bias (selection or information) and the bias subtype (e.g. non-response bias, volunteer bias, recall bias, etc.).
1) An investigator would like to assess the association of melanoma (skin cancer) and exposure to infrared skin tanning services by using a hospital-based case–control study. Hospitalized individuals with melanoma will be compared with hospitalized patients without melanoma (controls). This hospital, located in a low-income area of the city, is famous nationwide for its expertise in melanoma. Individuals with melanoma (cases) from all over the country go to that hospital to get the highest quality care that can be provided. However, this hospital is not as well known for any other medical conditions as it is for melanoma. Therefore, cases would come from all over the country, and controls will be mostly local low-income individuals. The investigator predicts that an overestimation of the association between melanoma and skin tan services may occur.
2) A study of psychiatric disorders found a positive association between low socioeconomic status and psychosis (severe mental disorder). It also found a strong negative association between low socioeconomic status and neurosis (mild mental disorders or emotional problems). It turns out that those of high socioeconomic status were also more likely to seek treatment for emotional problems, leading to a diagnosis of neuroticism, than were their lower SES counterparts. Many neurotic people in low SES groups did not have the luxury of seeking treatment, and were simply misclassified as normal.
Explanation / Answer
A-1)
This is a case of Selection Bias and more specifically Berkson's bias
A-2)
This is a case of Information Bias and more specifically Volunteer bias
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