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Validity of Internet-based longitudinal study data: the elephant in the virtual room
Carys A Pugh1, Kim M Summers, B Mark C Bronsvoort
1The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Carys.Pugh@roslin.ed.ac.uk.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
|April 19, 2015
Summary
Validating internet-based health study data is crucial. Direct interviews and record comparisons revealed unexpected social desirability effects, highlighting the need for careful, separate analysis of each data measure.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Epidemiology
- Digital Health
- Data Science
Background:
- Internet-based data collection relies on validated questionnaires.
- Practical examples of questionnaire validation are scarce in scientific literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate data from an ongoing Internet-based longitudinal canine health study.
- To identify challenges in data validation, including social desirability and recall bias.
Main Methods:
- The Dogslife study used web-based questionnaires for Labrador Retriever owners.
- Validation involved direct household interviews with 43 participants.
- Owner-reported health data was compared against 139 historical health records.
Main Results:
- User-derived measures require individual assessment due to unique challenges.
- Recall decay should be quantified to inform data collection and analysis.
- Multiple communication methods enhance validation and cohort engagement.
Conclusions:
- Online questionnaire validation translates theoretical principles into practical data considerations.
- Validation is an extension of questionnaire design and should start early.
- Suggested guidelines can aid validation in other Internet-based cohort studies.
Keywords:
Internetcanineepidemiologyhealthlongitudinal studiesquestionnairesvalidation studies as topicMore Related Videos
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