The investigators suspect that military men may not tell the truth about visiting a CSW. Some may say they did visit a CSW when they actually did not; others will say they did not visit a CSW when they actually did. Is this:
A. Nondifferential misclassification of exposure
B. Nondifferential misclassification of disease
C. Information bias
D. Selection bias
Based on the information provided, the situation described can be classified as:
C. Information bias
Explanation:
Information bias refers to an error in measurement or classification of exposure or outcome. In this case, the investigators suspect that the individuals may not be telling the truth about visiting a commercial sex worker (CSW). Some individuals may falsely report visiting a CSW when they did not, while others may deny visiting a CSW when they actually did.
This asymmetry in reporting introduces bias and can affect the accuracy of the data collected. It leads to misclassification of exposure in this case, as the investigators are unable to accurately determine the true exposure status of the individuals.
To confirm this answer, you can consider the characteristics of the other choices:
A. Nondifferential misclassification of exposure: Nondifferential misclassification occurs when the misclassification of exposure is independent of the disease status. In this scenario, the misclassification of exposure (reporting visiting a CSW or not) likely varies between individuals, as some individuals falsely report their status, while others deny it. Therefore, it does not meet the criteria for nondifferential misclassification of exposure.
B. Nondifferential misclassification of disease: Nondifferential misclassification of disease occurs when the misclassification of disease is independent of exposure status. However, in this case, the misclassification is related to exposure (visiting a CSW) and not the disease itself. Therefore, it does not meet the criteria for nondifferential misclassification of disease.
D. Selection bias: Selection bias occurs when there is a systematic error in selecting individuals into a study or excluding them. However, the information provided does not suggest any specific bias in the selection process; it focuses more on the misreporting of exposure rather than the selection of individuals.
Hence, based on the given details, the most appropriate classification for this scenario is C. Information bias.