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11:21
Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
Published on: July 27, 2018
Feasibility of using web surveys to collect time-activity data
Xiangmei May Wu1, Deborah H Bennett, Kiyoung Lee
1Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
|July 28, 2011
Summary
Web surveys offer a time-saving alternative for collecting time-activity data, showing consistency with traditional methods. Improving survey design is key for participant compliance and data quality in this promising approach.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Survey Methodology
- Public Health Research
Background:
- Traditional time-activity data collection via telephone or paper diaries is resource-intensive.
- Developing efficient and cost-effective data collection methods is crucial for research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a web survey as an alternative for collecting time-activity data.
- To assess the performance, reliability, and consistency of web-based time-activity data collection.
Main Methods:
- A 24-hour recall web diary was administered to 151 parents and 55 older adults over 18 months.
- Data quality was assessed via completion rates, unreasonable sleep times, and missing transit reports.
- Web survey data was compared against telephone interview data from the same participants.
Main Results:
- Web surveys demonstrated fair consistency with telephone interview data.
- Slightly higher compliance issues were noted for web surveys compared to telephone interviews.
- Most compliance issues were resolvable through interface and question refinement.
Conclusions:
- Web surveys are a promising and potentially time-saving method for collecting time-activity data.
- Optimizing participant burden and survey interface design is critical for data quality and compliance.
- Further refinement of web survey methodology can enhance its utility in research.
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