A Web-Based Audio Computer-Assisted Self-interview Application With Illustrated Pictures to Administer a Hepatitis B...

Area of Science:

• Health informatics
• Survey methodology
• Human-computer interaction

Background:

• Traditional surveys face accessibility challenges for individuals with limited literacy and language barriers.
• Face-to-face interviews can introduce privacy concerns and reporting biases, especially for sensitive topics.
• Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) offers an alternative but may not fully address literacy issues with response options.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and illustrate all questions and response options within an ACASI application.
• To compare ACASI with face-to-face interviews and paper surveys for collecting data on hepatitis B knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
• To describe the two-phase development process of a web-based ACASI application incorporating illustrated pictures.

Main Methods:

• Phase 1: Preparation and pretesting of ACASI components (questionnaire, pictures, audio, descriptions) with 20 participants.
• Phase 2: Synchronization of elements into a web-based application, focusing on autoplay audio and illustrated response options.
• User acceptance testing of the preprototype with 5 participants, leading to minor interface adjustments.

Main Results:

• A fully functional prototype ACASI application with illustrated pictures was developed over 12 months.
• The application supports electronic survey administration, secure data storage, and data export.
• The development process resulted in a user-friendly interface with minor adjustments based on testing.

Conclusions:

• Pretesting individual ACASI elements separately proved efficient, reducing later reprogramming needs.
• Future development should involve participatory design for pictures and user interfaces.
• Picture-assisted ACASI is a promising mode for collecting sensitive data from marginalized populations facing literacy and language barriers.