Perception of epidemic's related anxiety in the General French Population: a cross-sectional study in the Rhône-Alpes region

Background  

To efficiently plan appropriate public health interventions during possible epidemics, governments must take into consideration the following factors about the general population: their knowledge of epidemics, their fears of and psychological responses to them, their level of compliance with government measures and their communities' trusted sources of information. However, such surveys among the French general population are rare.     

Deconstructing Williamsburg: Using focus groups to examine residents' perceptions of the building of a walkable community

Background  

Components of the built environment are associated with active living behaviors, but research in this area has employed surveys and other quantitative methods almost exclusively. Qualitative approaches can provide additional detail about how neighborhoods influence physical activity, including informing the extent to which such relationships are causal in nature. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of residents' attitudinal and behavioral responses to living in a neighborhood designed to be walkable.     

Portuguese students' knowledge of antibiotics: a cross-sectional study of secondary school and university students in Braga

Background  

Recent surveys show that the knowledge of the general public about the correct use of antibiotics is limited. This contributes to the problem of inappropriate antibiotic use, leading to a progressive loss of bacterial sensitivity to these drugs and the spreading of resistant strains of bacteria.     

Assessing response bias from missing quality of life data: The Heckman method

Background  

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the use of the Heckman two-step method to assess and correct for bias due to missing health related quality of life (HRQL) surveys in a clinical study of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.     

The measurement of health-related quality of life (QOL) in paediatric clinical trials: a systematic review

Background  

The goal of much care in chronic childhood illness is to improve quality of life (QOL). However, surveys suggest QOL measures are not routinely included. In addition, there is little consensus about the quality of many QOL measures.     

International health policy survey in 11 countries: assessment of non-response bias in the Norwegian sample

Background  

International health policy surveys are used to compare and evaluate health system performance, but little is known about the effects of non-response. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of non-response in the Norwegian part of the Commonwealth Fund international health policy survey in 2009.     

Ten years of lesbian health survey research in the UK West Midlands

Background  

Very little is known about the physical health needs of lesbian and bisexual women in the UK; most research has looked at mental or sexual health only. This article reports the results of four surveys carried out in the West Midlands between 1995 and 2005.     

Using risk factor surveillance as a basis for mixed-methodology research: an example from Australia using food intake and anthropometric measures

Objectives  

Risk factor surveillance is an integral part of public health, and can provide a ready-made sample for further research. This study assessed the utility of mixed-methodology research using telephone and postal surveys.     

Patterns of knowledge and condom use among population groups: results from the 2005 Ethiopian behavioral surveillance surveys on HIV

Background  

Behavioral surveys help interpret the magnitude of HIV/AIDS. We analyzed indicators of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and condom use among sub populations selected for behavioral surveillance in Ethiopia.     

The Effect of Response Scale,Administration Mode,and Format on Responses to the CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey

Objective

To examine how different response scales, methods of survey administration, and survey format affect responses to the CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Clinician and Group (CG-CAHPS) survey.

Study Design

A total of 6,500 patients from a university health center were randomly assigned to receive the following: standard 12-page mail surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales (on CG-CAHPS composite items), telephone surveys using 4-category or 6-category response scales, or four-page mail surveys.

Principal Findings

A total of 3,538 patients completed surveys. Composite score means and provider-level reliabilities did not differ between respondents receiving 4-category or 6-category response scale surveys or between 12-page and four-page mail surveys. Telephone respondents gave more positive responses than mail respondents.

Conclusions

We recommend using 4-category response scales and the four-page mail CG-CAHPS survey.     

Properties of a short questionnaire for assessing Primary Care experiences for children in a population survey

Background  

The Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) is an interesting set of tools for primary care research. A very short version could inform policy makers about consumer experiences with primary care (PC) through health surveys. This work aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of a selection of items from the child short edition (CS) of the PCAT.     

Results from the National Strategy for Improvement of Iodine Nutrition in Bulgaria. A study of children and pregnant women living in an iodine-deficient area

Background  

A significant part of Bulgaria is considered an iodine-deficient area. The National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) was developed in 1994, and regular surveys undertaken in 2000–2003 indicated a normalization of the iodine supply in the Bulgarian population, including some at-risk population groups (children, schoolchildren, pregnant women). Despite the results achieved, mandating periodic cohort surveys for tracking the elimination of iodine deficiency is necessary.     

Improving knowledge about disability transitions by adding retrospective information to panel surveys. Population Health Metrics

Background  

Panel data are often used to estimate key measures of public health, such as years lived with and without disability. Panel surveys commonly measure disability at intervals of one or two years, and occasionally more than two. It is likely that these intervals often include unreported changes in functional status. Unreported changes may bias estimates of disability transition probabilities, which are commonly used to estimate years lived with and without disability. Most surveys do not ask participants about periods with and without disability in the time since they last responded to the survey. We examined a way to improve the usefulness of panel surveys and our understanding of disability processes, by eliciting retrospective disability information.     

Do postage stamps versus pre-paid envelopes increase responses to patient mail surveys? A randomised controlled trial

Background  

Studies largely from the market research field suggest that the inclusion of a stamped addressed envelope, rather than a pre-paid business reply, increases the response rate to mail surveys. The evidence that this is also the case regarding patient mail surveys is limited.     

Impact of methodological "shortcuts" in conducting public health surveys: Results from a vaccination coverage survey

Background  

Lack of methodological rigor can cause survey error, leading to biased results and suboptimal public health response. This study focused on the potential impact of 3 methodological "shortcuts" pertaining to field surveys: relying on a single source for critical data, failing to repeatedly visit households to improve response rates, and excluding remote areas.     

Measuring the health of the Indian elderly: evidence from National Sample Survey data

Background  

Comparable health measures across different sets of populations are essential for describing the distribution of health outcomes and assessing the impact of interventions on these outcomes. Self-reported health (SRH) is a commonly used indicator of health in household surveys and has been shown to be predictive of future mortality. However, the susceptibility of SRH to influence by individuals' expectations complicates its interpretation and undermines its usefulness.     

Is web interviewing a good alternative to telephone interviewing? Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands Survey

Background  

Web interviewing is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, because it has several advantages over telephone interviewing such as lower costs and shorter fieldwork periods. However, there are also concerns about data quality of web surveys. The aim of this study was to compare the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands web and telephone samples on demographic and smoking related variables to assess differences in data quality.     

Evaluating housing quality,health and safety using an Internet-based data collection and response system: a cross-sectional study

Background  

Typically housing and health surveys are not integrated together and therefore are not representative of population health or national housing stocks. In addition, the existing channels for distributing information about housing and health issues to the general public are limited. The aim of this study was to develop a data collection and response system that would allow us to assess the Finnish housing stock from the points of view of quality, health and safety, and also to provide a tool to distribute information about important housing health and safety issues.     

Perceptions of and willingness to engage in public health precautions to prevent 2009 H1N1 influenza transmission

Background  

Recommendations about precautionary behaviors are a key part of public health responses to infectious disease threats such as the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Individuals' interpretation of recommendations, willingness to comply, and factors predicting willingness were examined.