Lifestyle surveys--the complete answer?

Abstract

Study objectives -These were as follows:to study incompleteness of data, herein called item non-response, generated by a self completion questionnaire; to identify the characteristics ofitem non-responders and the types of questions liable to high item non-response rates; and to discuss possible reasons for item non-response. Design -Item non-response patterns in 12 307 responders (62%) to a representative postal survey based on a stratified sample drawn from family health services authorities' (FHSA) registers were investigated. Main outcome measures -Data were analysed for item non-response in three groups depending on when the questionnaire was returned (wave analysis). The overall completion rate of the questionnaire was examined and the natural logarithm of the proportion of completed questions was used as an outcome variable in multiple regression analysis. Item In postal studies, bias may be introduced through respondents failing to complete all the questions, referred to here as "item nonresponse".' This bias is additional to any bias caused by total non-response,2 such as the under representation of young men34 and smokers.56 Therefore, a better understanding of item non-response should help in the interpretation ofdata generated by postal surveys. Reasons for item non-response vary and include poor question design, questionnaire layout, and the inability or unwillingness of the respondent to supply information.7A previous study has focused on item nonresponse in a series of three postal surveys of patients who had recently undergone three different surgical procedures (each involving around 300 patients).8 In all three surveys, more than half of all respondents missed one or more items (56%, 63%, and 60%). The amount of variance in item non-response attributable to respondents' characteristics, such as gender, age, education, or health perception, in regression modelling was fairly low (R2 = 7%, 12%, and 9%), suggesting that patient characteristics do not relate strongly to item non-response. In all three surveys questions at the end of the questionnaire were no more likely to be omitted than those at the beginning and the two most frequently omitted questions were on family income (13%, 14%, and 23%) and employment status (6%, 12%, and 17%).

A Survey of the Pain Experienced by Males and Females with Fabry Disease

“…As well, the percentage of males and females who responded to the FSIG mailing did not differ significantly from the distribution of self-identified males and females in the FSIG database. The slightly greater number of female respondents is also consistent with finding that, in general, females are more likely than males to respond to questionnaires (44)(45)(46), or that females may have been more motivated than males to 'speak out' about pain experiences due to their encountering ignorance or neglect in health care settings. It is also possible that males may be inundated by solicitations for participation in research because they are typically the targeted population for examining Fabry disease and, therefore, were slightly less inclined to become involved.…”

Prevalence of Chronic Diseases According to Socioeconomic Status Measured by Wealth Index: Health Survey in Serbia

“…As there is evidence that non-response is higher among persons of lower socioeconomic status and those with poorer health, it could lead to the underestimation of the prevalence of chronic diseases among lower socioeconomic groups (3,25,26). Another limitation of the study was the problem of the accuracy of self-reports for chronic diseases.…”

Utilização de medicamentos por aposentados brasileiros: 2 - Taxa de resposta e preenchimento de questionário postal em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil

“…Contrariamente, essa é prejudicada quando se incluem questões de natureza sensitiva ou ainda quando o questionário se inicia com questões genéricas 2,3,5,23,25 . Parece haver consenso, ainda, de que o tamanho, a cor, a natureza e ordenamento das questões são os aspectos estruturais mais importantes 2,5,14,26,27 . Alguns desses procedimentos foram adotados em nosso estudo, tais como o envio de correspondência apresentando os objetivos da pesquisa, o envio de uma segunda cópia do questionário, a coordenação por parte de instituições de ensino e a adoção do sistema de porte pré-pago (envelope selado).…”

“…Esses apontamentos da literatura podem contribuir para explicar, em parte, a taxa de resposta obtida em nosso inquérito e para compreender a omissão de resposta na seção sobre utilização de medicamentos, o último bloco de perguntas do questionário, embora contivesse as variáveis de maior interesse do estudo. Alguns autores consideram que questões ao final do questionário não apresentam menor percentual de respostas quando comparadas às do início, mas não discutem as particularidades das questões em uma e outra posição 14 .…”

“…No último caso, estudos têm demonstrado que os respondentes tardios têm perfil semelhante ao dos não respondentes 6,8,10,11,12 , logo essa estratégia pode ser um bom preditor de viés da não-resposta. Outras formas de avaliação incluem a quantificação da omissão de respostas a distintas perguntas do questionário e análises de confiabilidade e validade 1,3,6,10,12,13,14 .…”