scholarly journals Using Facebook to Maximize Follow-Up Response Rates in a Longitudinal Study of Adults who use Methamphetamine

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. SART.S8485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklin Bolanos ◽  
Diane Herbeck ◽  
Dayna Christou ◽  
Katherine Lovinger ◽  
Aurora Pham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Study Participation ◽  
Regulatory Issues ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Follow Up Studies ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Cognitive Problems

This study examines the process and effects of using facebook (FB) to locate and re-contact study participants targeted for follow up in a longitudinal study of adult methamphetamine users (N = 649). A follow-up interview was conducted in 2009–11 approximately 8 years after previous study participation. Our paper describes re-contact efforts involving FB, including IRB regulatory issues and the effectiveness of using FB compared to mailings and phone calls. A total of 48 of the 551 surviving non-incarcerated participants who agreed to be contacted for follow up studies were contacted via FB, of whom 11 completed the follow-up interview. Those contacted through FB were more likely to be younger, female, relocated out-of-state, and reported somewhat higher rates of anxiety and cognitive problems compared to those not located on FB. Although participants contacted through FB are likely to differ demographically from those contacted by phone or mail, FB provides a potentially effective means to expand conventional methods of correspondence for contacting hard to reach participants.

scholarly journals Does pre-notification increase questionnaire response rates: a nested randomised control trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Woolf ◽  
Phil Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Questionnaire Response ◽  
Potential Study ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Unclear Risk

AbstractBackgroundStudy results can be badly affected by non-response. One way to potentially reduce non-response is by sending potential study participants advance communication. During the update of a systematic review examining the effect of pre-notification on response rates, a number of study authors needed to be contacted for further information.ObjectivesTo conduct an RCT to investigate the effect of pre-notification, nested within the request for further information for a systematic review.MethodsStudy authors included in the systematic review, whose studies were at unclear risk of bias, and who were contactable, were randomly sent or not set a pre-notification email prior to being sent the request for further information email.ResultsAt the end of follow up, 14/33 (42.4%) authors in the pre-notification condition had returned responses to the questionnaire, and 18/42 (42.9%). There was not evidence of a difference between these groups.ConclusionsThis study’s results do not support the hypothesis that pre-notification does increase response from participants.

scholarly journals Non-parental care in childhood and health up to 30 years later: ONS Longitudinal Study 1971–2011

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1121-1127
Author(s):  
Emily T Murray ◽  
Rebecca Lacey ◽  
Barbara Maughan ◽  
Amanda Sacker
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background Children who spend time in non-parental care report worse health later in life on average, but less is known about differences by type of care. We examined whether self-rated health of adults who had been in non-parental care up to 30 years later varied by type of care. Methods We used longitudinal data from the office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study. Participants were aged <18 and never-married at baseline of each census year from 1971 to 2001. Separately for each follow-up period (10, 20 and 30 years later), multi-level logistic regression was used to compare self-rated health outcomes by different care types. Results For combined census years, sample sizes were 157 896 dependent children with 10 years of follow-up, 166 844 with 20 years of follow-up and 173 801 with 30 years of follow-up. For all follow-up cohorts, longitudinal study members who had been in care in childhood, had higher odds of rating their health as ‘not good’ vs. ‘good’; with highest odds for residential care. For example, 10-year follow-up odds ratios were 3.5 (95% confidence interval: 2.2–5.6) for residential care, 2.1 (1.7–2.5) for relative households and 2.6 (2.1–3.3) for non-relative households, compared with parental households after adjustment for childhood demographics. Associations were weakest for 10-year, and strongest for 20-year, follow-up. Additional adjustment for childhood social circumstances reduced, but did not eliminate, associations. Conclusion Decades after children and young people are placed in care, they are still more likely to report worse health than children who grew up in a parental household.

Recruiting Blacks to the Adventist Health Study: Do Follow-up Phone Calls Increase Response Rates?

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 667-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
La Shawnta Bell ◽  
Terry L. Butler ◽  
R. Patti Herring ◽  
Antonette K. Yancey ◽  
Gary E. Fraser
Keyword(s):  
Response Rates ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Adventist Health Study

scholarly journals Locating Longitudinal Respondents After a 50-Year Hiatus

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celeste Stone ◽  
Leslie Scott ◽  
Danielle Battle ◽  
Patricia Maher
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Original Sample ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Administrative Records ◽  
Interaction Detection ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Follow Up Studies ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Many longitudinal and follow-up studies face a common challenge: locating study participants. This study examines the extent to which a geographically dispersed subsample of participants can be relocated after 37 to 51 years of noncontact. Relying mostly on commercially available databases and administrative records, the 2011-12 Project Talent Follow-up Pilot Study (PTPS12) located nearly 85 percent of the original sample members, many of whom had not participated in the study since 1960. This study uses data collected in the base year to examine which subpopulations were the hardest to find after this extended hiatus. The results indicate that females were located at significantly lower rates than males. As expected, sample members with lower cognitive abilities were among the hardest-to-reach subpopulations. We next evaluate the extent to which biases introduced during the tracking phase can be minimized by using the multivariate chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) technique to calculate tracking loss adjustments. Unlike a 1995 study that found that these adjustments reduced statistical biases among its sample of located females, our results suggest that statistical adjustments were not as effective in PTPS12, where many participants had not been contacted in nearly 50 years and the tracking rates varied so greatly across subgroups.

Research note: A prenotice greeting card’s impact on response rates and response time

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-432
Author(s):  
Ashley K. Griggs ◽  
Rebecca J. Powell ◽  
Jennifer Keeney ◽  
Megan Waggy ◽  
Kathleen Mullan Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Future Expectations ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Participants

Maintaining high response rates over time is critical for the integrity of longitudinal studies. A best practice for encouraging survey participation in cross-sectional studies is to send sample members a pre-incentive with the survey invitation. However, in longitudinal studies this may change sample members’ future expectations of incentives. Instead researchers can use a prenotice to remind longitudinal sample members of the study and inform them of the upcoming wave. A unique greeting card format for a prenotice was experimentally tested against a $10 pre-incentive in the longitudinal study Add Health. The prenotice card, which thanked sample members for their ongoing contributions to the study over the last 20-plus years, significantly increased response rates and decreased survey response times over the 12-month course of data collection compared to the control. At the end of data collection, the prenotice card was equally effective as a $10 pre-incentive. However, in the first month of data collection, the combination of the prenotice card and pre-incentive was the most effective approach, suggesting that the best approach may depend on the planned duration of data collection. Additionally, sample members who did not participate in a previous wave had higher response rates this wave with the pre-incentive compared to the control. The findings suggest that long-term longitudinal study participants may evaluate researchers’ gratitude as a type of benefit on par with monetary incentives, offering researchers opportunities to reduce incentive costs, but this may differ based on previous wave participation.

scholarly journals Participants Attrition in a Longitudinal Study: The Malaysian Cohort Study Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7216
Author(s):  
Noraidatulakma Abdullah ◽  
Mohd Arman Kamaruddin ◽  
Ying-Xian Goh ◽  
Raihannah Othman ◽  
Andri Dauni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Attrition Rate ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Study Participation ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Study Experience

The attrition rate of longitudinal study participation remains a challenge. To date, the Malaysian Cohort (TMC) study follow-up rate was only 42.7%. This study objective is to identify the cause of attrition among TMC participants and the measures to curb it. A total of 19,343 TMC participants from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor that was due for follow-up were studied. The two most common attrition reasons are undergoing medical treatment at another government or private health center (7.0%) and loss of interest in participating in the TMC project (5.1%). Those who were inclined to drop out were mostly Chinese, aged 50 years and above, unemployed, and had comorbidities during the baseline recruitment. We have also contacted 2183 participants for the home recruitment follow-up, and about 10.9% agreed to join. Home recruitment slightly improved the overall follow-up rate from 42.7% to 43.5% during the three-month study period.

scholarly journals Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Results from the SAPPHIRE study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Silberzahn ◽  
Miles B. Morris ◽  
Katelyn E. Riegger ◽  
Rebecca H. White ◽  
Catherine A. Tomko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Retention Strategies ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background: Despite experiencing HIV/STIs, violence, and other morbidities at higher rates than the general public, street-based female sex workers are often absent from public health research and surveillance due to the difficulty and high costs associated with engagement and retention. The current study builds on existing literature by examining barriers and facilitators of retaining a street-based cohort of cisgender female sex workers recruited in a mobile setting in Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the SAPPHIRE study. Participants completed interviews and sexual health testing at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months. Methods: Retention strategies are described and discussed in light of their benefits and challenges. We also calculated analyzed raw and adjusted retention proportions at each follow-up period. Lastly, baseline sample characteristics were compared by number of completed visits across demographic, structural vulnerabilities, work environment, and substance use variables using F-tests and Pearson’s chi-square tests. Results: Although there were drawbacks to each retention strategy, each method was useful in tandem in achieving a successful follow-up rate. While direct forms of contact such as phone calls, social media outreach, and email were useful for retaining more stable participants, less stable participants required extensive field-based efforts such as home and site visits that increase the likelihood of random encounters. Overall, adjusted retention exceeded 70% for the duration of the 12-month study. Participants who were younger, recently experienced homelessness, and injected drugs daily were less likely to have completed all or most follow-up visits. Conclusion: Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to the most likely method(s) of successful retention.

scholarly journals 1126 Relationship Between Headache and Sleep: A Longitudinal Study from the Population of Sao Paulo City (Brazil)

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A428-A429
Author(s):  
L M Lucchesi ◽  
P F Tempaku ◽  
A A Smith ◽  
S Togeiro ◽  
H Hachul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Follow Up Studies ◽  
Nocturnal Awakening ◽  
Insomnia Severity

Abstract Introduction The complaint of nocturnal awakening with headache (NAH), was prevalent (8.4%) in the São Paulo population and was associated with sleep disturbances, as demonstrated in a study conducted in 2007 (EPISONO). Indeed, this relationship between sleep and headache is well documented in the literature. Objective: To assess the incidence and evolution of NAH and to associate sleep-related variables in an eight-year prospective study. Methods From 1042 volunteers enrolled in the baseline, 712 agreed to participate in the follow-up. Questionnaires and scales were applied and polysomnography and actigraphy performed. The complaint of NAH was analyzed according to a frequency questionnaire and separated into frequent or occasional. Results At follow-up, 110 volunteers reported NAH, of which 82 were the same as those from the baseline, but only 38 had frequent complaints. Comparing with volunteers whose headache has become occasional, we have as a difference the insomnia severity index which is significantly higher in the group with frequent NAH (8.40 ± 5.10 vs 11.20±6.40 p:0.03) and worse sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh questionnaire (7.25±3.60 vs 10.25±4.60 p:0.002). In addition, these volunteers had higher anxiety (10.40±9.30 vs 12.00± 10:00 p: 0.008) and depression (10.60±9.90 vs 12:00±9.90 p:0.005) from Beck’s questionnaires and greater fatigue (4.85±3.10 vs 9.75±5.55 p:0.001). The associations of NAH with insomnia, nightmares, and bruxism observed in the baseline continued, but no difference was observed between those who had frequent or occasional complaints at follow-up. Conclusion Our study showed that NAH was highly prevalent in the Sao Paulo population in both the baseline and follow-up studies, but this frequency had a reduction in follow-up. Volunteers who persisted with the frequent complaint showed greater severity of insomnia, higher anxiety and depression and greater fatigue. Support Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP) and São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

scholarly journals Ability to Reach Low-Income Smokers Enrolled in a Randomised Controlled Trial Varies with Time of Month

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-232
Author(s):  
Kathryn Hawk ◽  
Ruizhi Shi ◽  
June Weiss ◽  
Robert Makuch ◽  
Benjamin Toll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
States Of Emergency ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Generalised Estimating Equations

Introduction: Because of financial pressures, low-income individuals sometimes run out of cellphone service towards the end of the month.Aims: To determine if the time of month affects ability to reach low-income smokers by telephone.Methods: We reviewed data from a completed trial in the United States of emergency department (ED)-initiated tobacco dependence treatment for low-income smokers at a busy, academic ED in an urban community. We recorded the date of each one-month follow-up call, and divided each month into four time blocks: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4.Results: A total of 2,049 phone calls were made to reach 769 participants. Of these calls, 677 (33%) resulted in contact; 88% of all participants were contacted. Using generalised estimating equations with Week 4 as reference, the odds of a successful contact at Weeks 1, 2, and 3 were, respectively, 1.52 (95% CI 1.18, 1.96), 1.30 (95% CI 1.01, 1.66), and 1.37 (95% CI 1.07, 1.76).Conclusions: Study participants became progressively difficult to reach. This result may reflect low-income smokers’ decreased rates of active telephone service later in the month and suggests a mechanism to improve follow-up rates in future studies of low-income populations.

scholarly journals Impact of Nutrition on the Next Generation: The INCAP Longitudinal Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. S50-S58
Author(s):  
Usha Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Birth Size ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Nutrition Supplementation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Follow Up Studies

Background: The design of the original nutrition supplementation trial that was conducted from 1969 to 1977 in 4 villages in rural Guatemala to evaluate the benefits of improving nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood, combined with several follow-up studies, provides unique data to examine the effects of improving nutrition on the next generation. Objective: This article provides a summary of the key findings from the INCAP Longitudinal Study on the intergenerational effects of improving nutrition on the growth and well-being of the next generation. Methods: The key outcomes include offspring birth size as well as attained size and body composition through age 11 years. The sample sizes varied from approximately 200 to 800 depending on the timing of the follow-up studies and data collection protocols. The effects of parental birth size, maternal linear growth from birth through adulthood, and exposure to the nutrition intervention, that is, Atole versus Fresco during critical periods from prenatal through age 15 years, have been examined using complex models and approaches. Results: Overall, these publications demonstrate clear improvements in the growth of the next generation. Effects were seen primarily for maternal exposure to Atole and were larger for boys compared to girls. Stunting during early childhood among girls was also a significant predictor of offspring birth size, and younger age at first pregnancy (<20 years) was associated with an increased risk of stunting in the offspring. Conclusions: These studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of the importance of investing in nutrition, especially during early childhood for future generations.

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