Strategies to assess validity of self-reported exposures during the Persian Gulf War. Portland Environmental Hazards Research Center.

Research in the area of Persian Gulf War Unexplained Illnesses (PGWUI) is heavily dependent on self-reports of exposures. The Portland Environmental Hazards Research Center (PEHRC) conducted a population-based case-control study utilizing techniques to measure the magnitude of potential error in self-reports of exposure. While it is impossible to verify most exposures in the Persian Gulf War (PGW), results of our study reveal significant overreporting of exposures that can be verified based on the time period served in the Persian Gulf. Test-retest reliability estimates indicate inconsistency in frequency and rate of self-reported exposures during the PGW. Unexplained illness in PGW veterans has received much political and scientific attention. Self-reported exposures in surveys returned preceding and following media reports on particular exposure such as nerve gas or pesticides are presented. These results are useful in the interpretation of findings related to the PGWUI and in the design of future investigations.

波斯湾战争不明疾病（PGWUI）领域的研究在很大程度上依赖于暴露情况的自我报告。波特兰环境危害研究中心（PEHRC）进行了一项基于人群的病例对照研究，利用相关技术来衡量暴露自我报告中潜在错误的程度。虽然在波斯湾战争（PGW）中大多数暴露情况无法核实，但我们的研究结果显示，对于基于在波斯湾服役时间段可核实的暴露情况存在明显的过度报告。重测信度评估表明，在波斯湾战争期间自我报告的暴露频率和比率存在不一致性。波斯湾战争退伍军人的不明疾病受到了大量政治和科学方面的关注。文中呈现了在媒体对特定暴露（如神经毒气或杀虫剂）进行报道之前和之后回收的调查问卷中的自我报告暴露情况。这些结果对于解释与波斯湾战争不明疾病相关的研究结果以及未来调查的设计是有用的。