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An Evaluation of the Impact of Using an Alternate Caller ID Display in the National Immunization Survey
Megha S Ravanam1, Benjamin Skalland1, Zhen Zhao2
1NORC at the University of Chicago.
Insights
Changing the caller ID for the National Immunization Surveys (NIS) from the contractor name to "CDC NATL IMMUN" increased survey contact rates. This simple adjustment improves data collection for vital US vaccination monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Surveillance
- Survey Methodology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The National Immunization Surveys (NIS) are crucial for monitoring US vaccination coverage in children and adolescents.
- Effective telephone contact is essential for NIS success, with caller ID being the initial point of contact information.
- Previous NIS caller ID displayed "NORC UCHICAGO", identifying the survey administrator.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of an alternate caller ID display on NIS telephone contact rates.
- To test the hypothesis that displaying the sponsor name ("CDC NATL IMMUN") would increase respondent contact compared to the contractor name ("NORC UCHICAGO").
Main Methods:
- A randomized evaluation was conducted in Q4 2017 during NIS data collection.
- Survey participants were randomly assigned to either a control group (displaying "NORC UCHICAGO") or a treatment group (displaying "CDC NATL IMMUN").
- Contact rates were compared between the two caller ID display groups.
Main Results:
- The caller ID displaying "CDC NATL IMMUN" resulted in higher contact rates compared to "NORC UCHICAGO".
- This indicates that a more recognizable sponsor name positively influences respondent engagement.
- The study provides empirical evidence for optimizing survey outreach strategies.
Conclusions:
- Modifying caller ID to display the survey sponsor's name significantly enhances telephone survey contact rates.
- Implementing "CDC NATL IMMUN" as the caller ID is recommended for future NIS operations to improve data collection efficiency.
- This finding has implications for improving response rates in other large-scale health surveys.
Abstract:
The National Immunization Surveys (NIS) include dual frame random-digit-dial telephone surveys used to monitor vaccination coverage in the United States among children age 19-35 months (NIS-Child) and adolescents age 13-17 years (NIS-Teen), and to assess influenza vaccination for children age 6 months-17 years (NIS-Flu). The surveys collect household-reported demographic and access-to-care data during telephone interviews with the survey-eligible child's parent or guardian. The parent or guardian is then asked for consent to contact the child's vaccination provider(s) to obtain a provider-reported immunization history using a mailed questionnaire. The success of the NIS relies heavily on getting a respondent to answer the telephone, and the caller ID display is the earliest opportunity to convey information to a respondent about the identity of the caller. An evaluation was conducted in Quarter 4 of 2017 to determine the impact on contact rates of using an alternate caller ID display. The caller ID for the NIS surveys was previously set to display "NORC UCHICAGO", identifying the contractor administering the surveys, with a Chicago-based telephone number. It was hypothesized that having the caller ID display the name of the more recognizable survey sponsor instead of the contractor would increase contact rates. Half of the sample was randomly flagged to display the "NORC UCHICAGO" caller ID text as a control, and the other half was flagged to display "CDC NATL IMMUN" as a treatment. This paper presents the study design, results, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations for future research.
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