Given the inherent limitations of registries in providing representative and reliable data, the committee took a cautious approach to its analysis of registry data. The analysis of the AH&OBP Registry data was conducted with the purpose of describing the exposures and health conditions reported by veterans and service members who chose to participate in the registry it cannot, by nature (see Chapter 2), support any conclusions about health conditions caused by exposure to burn pits. Where applicable, the committee describes challenges encountered throughout its process and the resulting impacts. Detailed methods, analyses, and interpretation of exposure data collected by the questionnaire are presented in Chapter 5, and Chapter 6 provides the methods, analyses, and interpretation of the health outcomes that the committee believes offer the most value. Descriptive statistics including demographic and military characteristics of registry respondents are provided, and comparisons with all eligible veterans and service members are made. This is followed by a discussion of preliminary analyses undertaken to examine the quality of the data and potential biases by quantifying missing information and characterizing the respondents in terms of participation rates and representativeness to the eligible population. It begins with an overview of the data requested and received. This chapter is the first of three chapters that describe the methods and results of the committee’s analysis of the first 13 months of data from the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit (AH&OBP) Registry. Analysis Methods and Descriptive Statistics

Sas jmp job 16272