Designing The Survey Instrument and Process

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Designing The Survey Instrument

The Survey Instrument is being developed (as of March 13, 2002, by the Public Health Resource Group (PHRG). To learn about PHRG, click here.

The Survey will be a telephone survey, and the phone interviewers will use a detailed questionnaire and/or script when communicating with the responder.

 The guidelines for the Survey "Questionnaire" and Interview are:

  • The "Questionnaire" must allow the phone interview to be completed in a maximum of 25 minutes. It may be interrupted, and resumed at a later time, still within a 25 minute total maximum time.
  • The "Questionnaire" must provide an interview format that will :
    • Consist of closed-end questions, i.e. those with previously defined categories from which the Responder can choose
    • Be a Structured Interview - questions are asked exactly as they are written
    • Ask about events in the recent past so that memory is more reliable
  • The questions will be previously validated (i.e. not new). They will be based upon:
    • Previously validated survey questions with national and/or State comparison data (e.g. NHIS, BRFSS)
    • PBHG's own database of validated questions
    • Behavioral Risk-Factor Survey (CDC)
    • National Health Interview Survey
    • MDPH-BEHA Surveys
  • The information gathered will seek both the symptoms and the actual disease status for the Responder and any children in the household. (Adults will not report on other adults). This information will include::
    • Adult and pediatric respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
    • Hearing impairments
    • Input from clinical and epidemiological experts
    • Personal History of the Responder, such as:
    • General health and functional health status
    • Occupational exposures to respiratory irritants
    • Behavioral health risks (smoking, etc.)
    • Childhood respiratory disease
    • Duration of residency in the study area
    • Personal characteristics of the study area residents
    • Residential exposures to respiratory irritants

Testing of the Instrument and Survey Process. Prior to the Logan Health Study, testing of the Instrument and Process will be done by:

  • A Draft-Instrument Pilot-Test of 100 adults residing within close proximity of Portland, ME., JetPort
  • An assessment of the results for data quality and comprehension

Pilot-Test feedback will be used to revise and finalize the survey instrument.

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