Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Handheld computers. A feasible alternative to paper forms for field data collection.

Linda A Fletcher1, Darin J Erickson, Traci L Toomey

  • 1Alcohol Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, USA.

Evaluation Review
|April 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Handheld computers offer a feasible alternative to paper forms for data collection, showing over 95% agreement in field studies. This technology improves data analysis availability and branching logic compared to traditional paper methods.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Consequences of Delaying School Start Time on Mental Health Among Adolescents: The START Study.

Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)·2026
Same author

More Than Half of Retailers Sold Hemp-Derived THC Products to Underage-Appearing Buyers Despite Age Restrictions.

Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs·2026
Same author

Unintended prolonged opioid use: a prospective case-control study.

Pain·2026
Same author

Environmental Factors and School Lunch Participation Among Minnesota Secondary Students in the US.

Journal of nutrition education and behavior·2026
Same author

Emergency Department Visits During the Fall 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff Events in California.

Disaster medicine and public health preparedness·2026
Same author

The feasibility of a subgroup approach to create sensory-motor behavioral response profiles from a modified quantitative sensory test in cerebral palsy.

Pain·2025

Area of Science:

  • Computer Science
  • Public Health
  • Data Collection Methods

Background:

  • Traditional paper-based data collection faces limitations in efficiency and immediate data availability.
  • Advancements in mobile technology present potential solutions for enhancing field data collection processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy and agreement of handheld computer-based data collection versus traditional paper forms.
  • To evaluate the performance of each data collection method in a real-world field observation setting.

Main Methods:

  • A field observation study was conducted across 47 community festivals.
  • Data on alcohol purchase attempts were collected concurrently using both paper forms and handheld computers.
  • Agreement metrics and qualitative handling of data were assessed between the two methods.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Data agreement between paper forms and handheld computers exceeded 95%.
  • Handheld computer-based forms demonstrated superior performance in handling branching logic and providing immediate data availability for analysis.
  • Paper forms were found to be more effective for collecting written comments.

Conclusions:

  • Handheld computers are a viable and effective alternative to paper forms for field data collection.
  • The study highlights the advantages of mobile technology in improving data management and analysis efficiency.
  • While handheld computers excel in structured data, paper forms retain an advantage for qualitative, free-textual data capture.