HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (10) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Guttmacher, S. Articles by Weinberg, S. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Guttmacher, S. Articles by Weinberg, S. L. Related Collections Adolescent Health School Health Surveys

Sally Guttmacher, PhD, Beth C. Weitzman, PhD, Farzana Kapadia, MPH and Sharon L. Weinberg, PhD

Sally Guttmacher is with the Department of Health Studies, New York University School of Education, New York City. Beth C. Weitzman is with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University. At the time of this study, Farzana Kapadia was with the Department of Health Studies, New York University School of Education. Sharon Weinberg is with the Department of Humanities and the Social Sciences, New York University School of Education.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Sally Guttmacher, PhD, New York University School of Education, Department of Health Studies, 726 Broadway, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10003 (e-mail: sally.guttmacher{at}nyu.edu).

Objectives. This investigation examined the effectiveness of intensive efforts to include frequently absent students in order to reduce bias in classroom-based studies.

Methods. Grade 10 students in 13 New York City high schools (n = 2049) completed selfadministered confidential surveys in 4 different phases: a 1-day classroom capture, a 1-day follow-up, and 2 separate 1-week follow-ups. Financial incentives were offered, along with opportunities for out-of-classroom participation.

Results. Findings showed that frequently absent students engaged in more risk behaviors than those who were rarely absent. Intensive efforts to locate and survey chronically absent students did not, however, significantly alter estimates of risk behavior. Weighting the data for individual absences marginally improved the estimates.

Conclusions. This study showed that intensive efforts to capture absent students in classroom-based investigations are not warranted by the small improvements produced in regard to risk behavior estimates.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. J. Steinman, A. K. Ferketich, and T. Sahr The Dose-Response Relationship of Adolescent Religious Activity and Substance Use: Variation Across Demographic Groups Health Educ Behav, February 1, 2008; 35(1): 22 - 43. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Dalun Zhang, A. Katsiyannis, D. E. Barrett, and V. Willson Truancy Offenders in the Juvenile Justice System: Examinations of First and Second Referrals Remedial and Special Education, August 1, 2007; 28(4): 244 - 256. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. M. Ghandour, M. D. Overpeck, Z. J. Huang, M. D. Kogan, and P. C. Scheidt Headache, Stomachache, Backache, and Morning Fatigue Among Adolescent Girls in the United States: Associations With Behavioral, Sociodemographic, and Environmental Factors Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, August 1, 2004; 158(8): 797 - 803. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B C Weitzman, S Guttmacher, S Weinberg, and F Kapadia Low response rate schools in surveys of adolescent risk taking behaviours: possible biases, possible solutions J Epidemiol Community Health, January 1, 2003; 57(1): 63 - 67. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]