Open AccessLabour‐saving strategies to maintain survey response rates: a randomised trial
Author(s) -
Ward Jeanette,
Bruce Tracey,
Holt Phoebe,
D'Este Kate,
Sladden Michael
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-842x.1998.tb01398.x
Subject(s) - respondent , intervention (counseling) , medicine , randomized controlled trial , family medicine , psychology , physical therapy , nursing , surgery , political science , law
To evaluate response‐aiding strategies feasible in large surveys, we randomly allocated general practitioners (GPs) to one of four intervention groups: Group 1 received ‘exhaustive’ telephone prompts by a medical peer in advance of a questionnaire; Group 2, inclusion of an embossed pen with the questionnaire; Group 3, an advance letter prompt; and Group 4, a ‘single attempt’ advance telephone prompt by a non‐medical research assistant. Follow‐up procedures were identical. Response rates by group were not significantly different overall (χ 2 4.59, df=3, p=0.20) although advance prompts by a medical peer were significantly more effective than other strategies for male GPs. The difference in overall response rates between males (63%) and females (74%) was significant (χ 2 =15.40, df=1, p<0.01). No other response bias was evident. Our demonstration of a significant interaction between respondent sex and response‐aiding strategy invites further research.