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We would like to thank Bai et al for their interest in and comments on our paper titled ‘A longitudinal study of the association between infrapatellar fat pad maximal area and changes in knee symptoms and structure in older adults’.1
First, we agree that the overall response rate was not high (57%). We identified the participants randomly from the local community using the electoral roll, and the reasons for not participating in this study were not being eligible, not being contactable and refusing to participate. The response rate is comparable to those (52–58%) from studies with equivalent response burdens conducted around the same time period.2 ,3 The moderate response rate can be offset by the high rate of retention at follow-up. Bai et al assumed that people with pain to start with were more likely to respond, and those with significant changes in pain symptoms over …