Assessment of the Uses and Users of Healthier US and Healthy People 2010. Data Collection Techniques

Fielding the survey entailed mailing the questionnaire along with a cover letter to the key staff member at each organization⁸. A self-addressed stamped envelope was included with each survey to facilitate the return the questionnaire directly to the researchers. A follow-up postcard mailing was sent to respondents two weeks after the initial mailing, and a phone call was made to those who had not responded after one month. The phone call also provided an opportunity for the researchers to re-mail or fax questionnaires that had been lost or misplaced. Respondents who asked to complete the questionnaire over the phone were allowed to do so at the time; 32 percent of respondents completed the questionnaire through a telephone administration. All data from the completed questionnaires was entered to create the analytic data file.

A letter was sent to the 45 selected respondents to alert them to the upcoming scheduling phone call and contact was attempted with all cases. To reach participants, NORC cross-referenced the record of calls from the initial survey to determine the best phone number to reach the selected users. Research assistants called respondents according to a standard call schedule that included placing calls at different times of the day and leaving messages or voice mails at specific intervals during the process. Once a respondent was contacted, the Research Assistant offered to conduct the interview at that time, or scheduled an appointment to conduct the interview at a later date.

Each interviewer conducted the interview using the approved protocol (Appendix 2), which included an introduction to the project specifying the purpose and the confidentiality of the information provided on the call. Research Assistants took notes while interviews were conducted and the notes were revised and annotated directly after the interview to ensure that the data would be understandable by the analysts.

Interview guides included several modules tailored to respondent use of HealthierUS and HP2010 as well as an additional module for tribal users. Interviews typically lasted 15-20 minutes and included time for open feedback from respondents. A listing of characteristics for the 25 respondents is included in Appendix 2.