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Table 2 Study characteristics and quality issues for all included articles

From: Does back and neck pain become more common as you get older? A systematic literature review

Author country year of publication

Sample size and response rate

Method of data collection:

Generalisability:

Selection bias:

Participants informed of the definition of BP and anatomical area:

  

Questionnaire

Random sampling of general population (RS) or whole population approached (WP)

weak and confused individuals likely to have been excluded

In writing

  

Interview

 

Other types of possible selection bias

With a drawing

  

Physical examination

Response rate >70% (RRhigh)

 

Personal communication

   

Comparison of responders and non-responders (COMP) or adjusted (ADJ) for non-responders

  

Andrianakos[9] Greece 2003

8,740

Home interview

RS

No

Personal communication

 

82%

 

RRhigh

  
   

COMP

  

Freburger[10]* USA 2009

2,723 (2006)

Telephone interview

RS

To some degree (telephone household interviews)

Personal communication

 

57%

 

-

  
   

ADJ

  

Goode[11]* USA 2010

2,809

Telephone interview

RS

To some degree (telephone household interviews)

Personal communication

 

57%

 

-

  
   

COMP

  

Guez[12] Sweden 2002

6,000

Telephone interview

RS

No

Not described

 

72%

 

RRhigh

  
   

COMP

  

Hartvigsen[13] Denmark 2004

4,486

Home interview

WP

To some degree (telephone household interviews)

Personal communication

 

80.4%

 

-

  
   

-

  

Keenan[14] UK 2006

16,222

Postal questionnaire

RS

No

With a drawing

 

86%

 

RRhigh

  
   

COMP

  

Parsons[15] UK 2007

2,504

Postal questionnaire

RS

Individuals excluded by GP if for example terminal illness, severe psychiatric disorder or severe dementia; or requested not to be involved in research

With a drawing

 

60%

 

-

  
   

COMP

  

Picavet[16] Netherlands 2003

3,664

Postal questionnaire

RS

No

Not described

 

47%

 

-

  
   

COMP

  

Santos-Eggimann[17] Switzerland 2000

3,227

Questionnaire

RS

No

With a drawing

 

76% and 52% (two populations sampled)

 

+/- RRhigh (two populations)

  
   

COMP

  

Strine[18] USA 2007

31,004

Household interview

RS

To some degree (household interviews)

Not described

 

74%

 

RRhigh

  
   

ADJ

  

Thomas[19] UK 2004

7,878

Postal questionnaire

RS

Individuals excluded by GP if for example severe psychiatric or terminal illness

With a drawing

 

71%

 

RRhigh

  
   

COMP

  

Webb[20] UK 2003

4,515

Postal questionnaire

RS

Unsuitable excluded by their GP

Not described

 

79%

 

RRhigh

  
   

-

  
  1. *Article reporting on more than one survey in which only the latest survey was included in our review.
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Chiropractic & Manual Therapies

ISSN: 2045-709X