Misinterpreting Odds Ratio in the Articles Published in Korean Journal of Family Medicine Original Article

Background: In reporting results of case-control studies, odds ratios are useful methods of reporting fi ndings. However, odds ratios are often misinterpreted in the literature and by general readers. Methods: We searched all original articles which were published in the Korean Journal of Family Medicine from 1980 to May 2011 and identifi ed those that report "odds ratios. " Misinterpretation of odds ratios as relative risks has been identifi ed. Estimated risk ratios were calculated when possible and compared with odds ratios. Results: One hundred and twenty-eight articles using odds ratios were identifi ed. Among those, 122 articles were analyzed for the frequency of misinterpretation of odds ratios as relative risks. Twenty-two reports out of these 122 articles misinterpreted odds ratios as relative risks. Th e percentage of misinterpreting reports decreased over years. Seventy-seven reports were analyzed to compare the estimated risk ratios with odds ratios. In most of these articles, odds ratios were greater than estimated risk ratios, 60 % of which had larger than 20 % standardized diff erences. Conclusion: In reports published in the Korean Journal of Family Medicine, odds ratios are frequently used. They were misinterpreted in part of the reports, although decreasing trends over years were observed.