Preventing bias from selective non-response in population-based survey studies: findings from a Monte Carlo simulation study.

The potential for preventing bias by including some extreme scorers in the sample is high (50-100% in many scenarios). Estimates may then be relatively unbiased in many situations, also at low response rates. Hence, researchers should prioritize to spend their resources on recruiting and retaining at least some individuals with extreme levels of health problems, rather than to obtain very high response rates from people who typically respond to survey studies. This may contribute to preventing bias due to selective non-response in longitudinal studies of risk factors and health outcomes.