On the feasibility of linking census samples to the National Death Index for epidemiologic studies
A progress report
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11035368 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eugene Rogot (National Institutes of Health), M Feinleib (0009-0002-9604-3533, National Institutes of Health), Kathleen A Ockay (National Institutes of Health), S Schwartz (National Center for Health Statistics), S H Schwartz, Robert Bilgrad (National Center for Health Statistics), J E Patterson, Jenna Patterson (0000-0002-3927-037X, National Center for Health Statistics) |
| Year | 1983 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1265-1269 |
| Publication date | 1983-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048 |
| Publisher | American Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2105/ajph.73.11.1265 |
| PMID | 6625029 |
| OpenAlex | W2064908116 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 1 |
To test the feasibility of using large national probability samples provided by the US Census Bureau, a pilot project was initiated to link 230,000 Census-type records to the National Death Index (NDI). Using strict precautions to maintain the complete confidentiality of individual records, the Current Population Survey files of one month in 1973 and one month in 1978 were matched by computer to the 1979 NDI file. The basic question to be addressed was whether deaths so obtained are seriously underestimated when there is no Social Security Number (SSN) in the Census record. The search of the NDI file resulted in 5,542 matches of which about 1,800 appear to be "true positives" representing deaths, the remainder are "false positives." Of the deaths, 80 per cent would still have been detected without SSN in the Census record. The main reasons for missing deaths (false negatives) were discrepancies in the year of birth and in the given name. Assuming certain changes in the NDI matching algorithm, the 80 per cent figure could increase to 85 per cent or higher; however, this could also cause significant increases in the number of false positives. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Census Bureau staff are currently developing a probabilistic method to eliminate false positives from the NDI output tape. The results of the pilot study indicate that a larger research project is clearly feasible
Census · Computer security · Confidence interval · Confidentiality · Environmental health · False positive paradox · Hazard ratio · Index (typography) · Matching (statistics) · National Death Index · Pathology · Population · Statistics · Census and Population Estimation · Computer Science · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Health and Conflict Studies · Mathematics · Medicine · Gerontology
Goals for Statistical Uses of Administrative Records
The accuracy of the National Death Index when personal identifiers other than Social Security number are used
The non-linear risk of mortality by income level in a healthy population
Individual education, area income, and mortality and recurrence of myocardial infarction in a Medicare cohort
The 'trickle-down' theory--is that any way to make policy
Strategy and art in automated death searches
Measuring the accuracy of vital status data in cohort studies
The National Death Index
The California Automated Mortality Linkage System (Camlis)
Measurement of family progress in coping with health problems
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,23 |
| Citation span | 1983 - 2014 (32) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |