PMCCPMCCPMCC

Search tips
Search criteria 

Advanced

 
Logo of artJournal's HomeManuscript SubmissionAims and ScopeAuthor GuidelinesEditorial BoardHome
 
AIDS Res Treat. 2012; 2012: 806384.
Published online 2012 May 8. doi:  10.1155/2012/806384
PMCID: PMC3356864
When Things Are Not as They Appear: Assessing the Adequacy of Cluster Randomization When Outcome Events Are Rare at Baseline
Veronica Dinaj-Koci, 1 * Nanika Brathwaite, 2 Lynette Deveaux, 2 Sonya Lunn, 2 Lesley Cottrell, 3 Carole Harris, 4 Bonita Stanton, 1 Xiaoming Li, 1 Sharon Marshall, 1 Perry Gomez, 2 and Xinguang Chen 1
1Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
2The Bahamas Ministries of Health and Education, New Providence, Nassau, Bahamas
3Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
4Health Research Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
*Veronica Dinaj-Koci: ar0687/at/wayne.edu
Academic Editor: Susan Rosenthal
Received January 19, 2012; Accepted February 19, 2012.
Abstract
The present study randomly assigned 15 Bahamian elementary schools to one of three intervention conditions. To assess the adequacy of cluster randomization, we examined two concerns identified by the local research team: inequality of gender distribution and environmental risk among groups. Baseline significant differences in risk and protective behaviors were minimal. There were significantly more males in the intervention group. Males had higher rates of risk behavior at all assessments. Poor school performance was also higher among the intervention condition and was significantly associated with increased rates of many but not all risk behaviors. Prior to adjusting for gender and school performance, several risk behaviors appeared to be higher after intervention among intervention youth. Adjusting for gender and school performance eradicated the group differences in risk behavior rates. Results demonstrate the importance of adequate randomization where outcomes of interest are rare events at baseline or differ by gender and there is an unequal gender distribution and the importance of the local research team's knowledge of potential inequalities in environmental risk (i.e., school performance). Not considering such individual differences could impact the integrity of trial outcomes.
Articles from AIDS Research and Treatment are provided here courtesy of
Hindawi Publishing Corporation