Development and Validation of a Surname List to Define Chinese Ethnicity

• DOI: 10.1097/01.mlr.0000204010.81331.a9
• Publication Date: 2006-03-16T09:04:55Z
• Authors: Hude Quan; Fulin Wang; Donald Schopflocher; Colleen Norris; P Diane Galbraith; Peter Faris; Michelle M. Graham; Merril L. Knudtson; William A. Ghali
• Keywords: Marital status

Surnames have the potential to accurately identify ancestral origins as they are passed on from generation generation. In this study, we developed and validated a Chinese surname list define ethnicity.We conducted literature review, panel telephone survey in randomly selected sample Canadian city 2003 develop list. The was then data Community Health Survey. Both surveys collected information self-reported ethnicity surname.Of 112,452 people analyzed Survey, 1.6% were Chinese. This similar 1.5% identified by Compared with (reference standard), had 77.7% sensitivity, 80.5% positive predictive value, 99.7% specificity, 99.6% negative value. When stratifying sex marital status, value 78.9% for married women 83.6% never women.The appears be valid identifying ethnicity. validity may depend geographic dialects given populations.