Evaluation of a risk factor survey with three assessment methods.

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Health Survey Methodology

Background:

• Cancer risk factor surveys are crucial for public health research.
• Ensuring the quality of survey data is essential for accurate risk assessment.
• Limited resources often constrain comprehensive questionnaire development and validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of three distinct methods for assessing cancer risk factor survey questions.
• To identify common and unique issues revealed by each evaluation method.
• To demonstrate how these methods can improve survey data quality.

Main Methods:

• Dataset response pattern analysis to identify data anomalies and effects.
• Qualitative respondent feedback to uncover clarity and usability issues.
• Questionnaire appraisal by experts to assess technical and structural quality.

Main Results:

• Dataset analysis revealed missing data, out-of-range values, order effects, and coding inconsistencies.
• Qualitative feedback highlighted issues with clarity, sensitive topics, undefined terms, response option presentation, and recall.
• Questionnaire appraisal identified technical terms, complex syntax, hidden definitions, and ambiguous wording.

Conclusions:

• Multiple methods provide complementary insights into survey question quality.
• These evaluation techniques offer practical solutions for improving data accuracy in cancer risk surveys.
• The described methods are valuable for enhancing survey quality under resource constraints.