Chocolate frogs do not increase completion of parent survey: randomised study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Survey Methodology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Low response rates are a significant challenge in national surveys, impacting data representativeness.
• Assessing parental experiences following a child's autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis requires robust participation.
• Initial response fractions in this national survey were below target levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a chocolate incentive in improving response rates for a postal survey.
• To compare the impact of a chocolate incentive versus standard reminder techniques on survey participation.
• To determine if incentives influence the timeliness of survey responses.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with families of children diagnosed with ASD.
• Participants were allocated to receive either a chocolate incentive or no incentive with their postal survey.
• Both groups received standard follow-up reminders, including a written reminder and telephone calls.

Main Results:

• In the initial 6-week period, the incentive group showed a higher response rate (21%) compared to the non-incentive group (6%, P=0.009).
• This short-term benefit diminished by the study's end, with response rates converging (53% vs. 42%, P=0.4).
• No significant differences were observed in the number of reminders needed or response time between the groups.

Conclusions:

• A chocolate-based incentive does not provide a significant, sustained increase in postal survey response rates.
• Standard reminder strategies are crucial for maximizing participation in surveys on autism spectrum disorder.
• Future research should explore alternative or combined strategies to enhance survey response rates in sensitive populations.