Questionnaire Breakoff and Item Nonresponse in Web-Based Questionnaires: Multilevel Analysis of Person-Level and Item Design Factors in a Birth Cohort

Blumenberg, Cauane; Zugna, Daniela; Popović, Maja; Pizzi, Costanza; Barros, Aluísio J D; Richiardi, Lorenzo

doi:10.2196/11046

Cited by 21 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…Thus, we need to consider that disproportional survey participation is not only an issue of race or ethnicity. The difference by education level that we found is consistent with previous reports, which stated that individuals with lower education level were less likely to complete a Web-based survey [35]. We suggest that it would be related to electronic health (eHealth) literacy, which is defined as an ability to work with technology such as thinking of media-related issues, searching for numerous information, and making decisions based on the information [36].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Socioeconomic Status and Racial or Ethnic Differences in Participation: Web-Based Survey

Jang¹,

Vorderstrasse²

2019

JMIR Res Protoc

115

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Background Web-based survey data collection has been widely used because of its advantages, although attaining and retaining participants can be challenging. There are several factors associated with successful Web-based survey participation; yet little is known regarding racial or ethnic and socioeconomic differences in the progress of a Web-based survey. Objective This study aimed to examine racial or ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in participation in a Web-based survey. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of a study dataset containing information on parents of preschool children. We used 2 phases of Web-based surveys: (1) screening questions including race or ethnicity information and (2) full survey with a consent form. Once potential participants submitted the screening questions, including their racial or ethnic information, the team sent the full survey link to potential participants who met study eligibility criteria. We calculated the proportion of racial or ethnic groups in each of the following areas: consent, partial survey completion, and total survey completion. Results A total of 487 participants (236 non-Hispanic white, 44 Hispanic, 137 black, and 70 Asian) completed initial screening questions, and a total of 458 participants met study eligibility criteria. Compared with black participants, non-Hispanic white and Asian participants were more likely to consent to participate in the study (odds ratio [OR] 1.73, 95% CI 1.08-2.78, P =.02; OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.04-4.13, P =.04, respectively). There was no racial or ethnic difference with respect to the completion of demographic questions or completion of a partial survey. Finally, compared with black participants, non-Hispanic white participants were more likely to complete the entire survey (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.51-7.06, P <.001). With respect to SES, less educated non-Hispanic white participants were less likely to complete the survey compared with their counterparts with more education (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.50-1.48, P <.001). Conclusions We found a significant difference among racial or ethnic groups as well as different education levels in Web-based survey participation. Survey researchers need to consider the SES and racial or ethnic differences in Web-based survey participation and develop strategies to address this bias in participation and completion in their research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Socioeconomic Status and Racial or Ethnic Differences in Participation: Web-Based Survey

Jang¹,

Vorderstrasse²

2019

JMIR Res Protoc

115

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“…Partially completed questionnaires may also be considered a proxy for the quality of the questionnaire. Within the PRIDE Study, 4.3% did not finish the baseline questionnaire, which seems to be lower compared with other studies focusing on pregnancy planners (PRESTO: 7.4%) and pregnant women (NINFEA birth cohort: 8.7%) …”

Section: Commentcontrasting

confidence: 56%

The PRIDE Study: Evaluation of online methods of data collection

Gelder

Merkus

Drongelen

et al. 2019

Paediatric Perinatal Epid

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Background Large birth cohort studies are extremely valuable in assessing associations between early life exposures and long‐term outcomes. Establishing new birth cohorts is challenging due to declining participation rates. Online methods of data collection may increase feasibility, but have not been evaluated thoroughly. Objective The primary objective of the ongoing PRegnancy and Infant DEvelopment (PRIDE) Study is to identify exposures during pregnancy and in early life that may affect short‐term or long‐term health of mother and/or child. In this manuscript, we aimed to evaluate methods of recruitment and online data collection applied. Population Dutch women aged ≥18 years in early pregnancy. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Initially, only prenatal care providers recruited participants, but alternative recruitment methods were added as a result of disappointing participation rates, including collaboration with “Moeders voor Moeders” (organisation that visits women in early pregnancy) and Facebook advertisements. Data on demographic characteristics, obstetric history, maternal health, life style factors, occupational exposures, nutrition, pregnancy complications, and infant outcomes are primarily collected through Web‐based questionnaires at multiple time points during and after pregnancy. Additional data collection components include paternal questionnaires, blood and saliva sampling, and linkage to medical records. Preliminary results By September 2019, 9573 women were included in the PRIDE Study, of which 1.3% completed paper‐based questionnaires. Mean age of the women analysed was 30.6 years, 71.1% had a high level of education, 57.2% were primiparae, and mean gestational age at enrolment was 9.9 (range 3, 37) weeks, with slight differences between recruitment methods. Pregnancy outcome was known for 89.8%. Retention rate at 6 months after the estimated date of delivery was estimated at 70%. Multiple validation studies conducted within the PRIDE Study indicated high data quality. Conclusion(s) Although challenging and time‐consuming, online methods for recruitment and data collection may enable the establishment of new birth cohort studies.

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“…Moreover, increasing fieldwork efforts might increase the response rate, but this is not necessarily a cost-effective way of minimizing survey error [ 33 ]. Next to unit response, assessing factors related to questionnaire breakoff and item response would be of interest, as these are less commonly studied [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unit Response and Costs in Web Versus Face-To-Face Data Collection: Comparison of Two Cross-sectional Health Surveys

Braekman¹,

Demarest²,

Charafeddine³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background Potential is seen in web data collection for population health surveys due to its combined cost-effectiveness, implementation ease, and increased internet penetration. Nonetheless, web modes may lead to lower and more selective unit response than traditional modes, and this may increase bias in the measured indicators. Objective This research assesses the unit response and costs of a web study versus face-to-face (F2F) study. Methods Alongside the Belgian Health Interview Survey by F2F edition 2018 (BHISF2F; net sample used: 3316), a web survey (Belgian Health Interview Survey by Web [BHISWEB]; net sample used: 1010) was organized. Sociodemographic data on invited individuals was obtained from the national register and census linkages. Unit response rates considering the different sampling probabilities of both surveys were calculated. Logistic regression analyses examined the association between mode system and sociodemographic characteristics for unit nonresponse. The costs per completed web questionnaire were compared with the costs for a completed F2F questionnaire. Results The unit response rate is lower in BHISWEB (18.0%) versus BHISF2F (43.1%). A lower response rate was observed for the web survey among all sociodemographic groups, but the difference was higher among people aged 65 years and older (15.4% vs 45.1%), lower educated people (10.9% vs 38.0%), people with a non-Belgian European nationality (11.4% vs 40.7%), people with a non-European nationality (7.2% vs 38.0%), people living alone (12.6% vs 40.5%), and people living in the Brussels-Capital (12.2% vs 41.8%) region. The sociodemographic characteristics associated with nonresponse are not the same in the 2 studies. Having another European (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.20-2.13) or non-European nationality (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.79-3.70) compared to a Belgian nationality and living in the Brussels-Capital (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.41-2.10) or Walloon (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.15-1.87) regions compared to the Flemish region are associated with a higher nonresponse only in the BHISWEB study. In BHISF2F, younger people (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.11-1.54) are more likely to be nonrespondents than older people, and this was not the case in BHISWEB. In both studies, lower educated people have a higher probability of being nonrespondent, but this effect is more pronounced in BHISWEB (low vs high education level: Web, OR 2.71, 95% CI 2.21-3.39 and F2F OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.48-1.95). The BHISWEB study had a considerable advantage; the cost per completed questionnaire was almost 3 times lower (€41 [US $48]) compared with F2F data collection (€111 [US $131]). Conclusions The F2F unit response rate was generally higher, yet for certain groups the difference between web and F2F was more limited. Web data collection has a considerable cost advantage. It is therefore worth experimenting with adaptive mixed-mode designs to optimize financial resources without increasing selection bias (eg, only inviting sociodemographic groups who are keener to participate online for web surveys while continuing to focus on increasing F2F response rates for other groups).

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Questionnaire Breakoff and Item Nonresponse in Web-Based Questionnaires: Multilevel Analysis of Person-Level and Item Design Factors in a Birth Cohort

Cited by 21 publications

References 37 publications

Socioeconomic Status and Racial or Ethnic Differences in Participation: Web-Based Survey

Socioeconomic Status and Racial or Ethnic Differences in Participation: Web-Based Survey

The PRIDE Study: Evaluation of online methods of data collection

Unit Response and Costs in Web Versus Face-To-Face Data Collection: Comparison of Two Cross-sectional Health Surveys

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