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Comparative Study
. 2010 Dec 1;172(11):1286-91.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwq310. Epub 2010 Oct 11.

Use of a web-based questionnaire in the Black Women's Health Study

Cordelia W Russell  1 , Deborah A Boggs, Julie R Palmer, Lynn Rosenberg
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Use of a web-based questionnaire in the Black Women's Health Study

Cordelia W Russell et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

The authors assessed the utility and cost-effectiveness of using a World Wide Web-based questionnaire in a large prospective cohort study, the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS). In 1995, 59,000 African-American women were recruited into the BWHS through a paper questionnaire. Follow-up paper questionnaires have been mailed every 2 years since then. During the 2003, 2005, and 2007 questionnaire cycles, participants were given the option of completing a Web-based questionnaire. The cost of developing and processing a returned paper questionnaire was 4 times that of a returned Web questionnaire, primarily because of return postage costs and greater processing time for paper questionnaires. The proportion of respondents who completed a Web questionnaire doubled from 2003 to 2007, from 10.1% to 19.9%, but the characteristics of those completing the Web questionnaire remained the same. Web response was greatest at younger ages (20.9% of those aged <30 years) and declined with age to 3.6% among women aged 60 years or more. Web questionnaires were filled out more completely than paper questionnaires, regardless of the sensitivity of a question. The use of a Web questionnaire in the BWHS resulted in cost savings and more complete responses. Although there are advantages to using a Web questionnaire, the use of multiple means of soliciting questionnaire responses is still needed.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percentages of participants responding to Web and paper questionnaires during the 2003, 2005, and 2007 follow-up cycles, Black Women's Health Study, 2003–2008.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentages of participants responding to Web and paper questionnaires during the 2003, 2005, and 2007 follow-up cycles, by e-mail availability, Black Women's Health Study, 2003–2008. Results are presented for all participants who either A) provided study investigators with an active e-mail address or B) did not.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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