An Exploration of Methods to Resolve Inconsistent Self-Reporting of Chronic Conditions and Impact on Multimorbidity in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Alessandra T. Andreacchi, Alberto Brini, Edwin Van den Heuvel, Graciela Muniz-Terrera, Alexandra Mayhew, Philip St John, Lucy E. Stirland, Lauren E. Griffith- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Community and Home Care
- Gerontology
Objectives
To quantify inconsistent self-reporting of chronic conditions between the baseline (2011–2015) and first follow-up surveys (2015–2018) in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), and to explore methods to resolve inconsistent responses and impact on multimorbidity.
Methods
Community-dwelling adults aged 45–85 years in the baseline and first follow-up surveys were included ( n = 45,184). At each survey, participants self-reported whether they ever had a physician diagnosis of 35 chronic conditions. Identifiable inconsistent responses were enumerated.
Results
32–40% of participants had at least one inconsistent response across all conditions. Illness-related information (e.g., taking medication) resolved most inconsistent responses (>93%) while computer-assisted software asking participants to confirm their inconsistent disease status resolved ≤53%. Using these adjudication methods, multimorbidity prevalence at follow-up increased by ≤1.6% compared to the prevalence without resolving inconsistent responses.
Discussion
Inconsistent self-reporting of chronic conditions is common but may not substantially affect multimorbidity prevalence. Future research should validate methods to resolve inconsistencies.