Abstract
Purpose To assess the impact of including next and back buttons on response burden and measurement reliability of computer-based surveys. Methods A sample of 807 participants (mean age of 53; 64% women, 83% non-Hispanic white; 81% some college or college graduates) from the YouGov Polimetrix panel was administered 56 items assessing performance of social/role activities and 56 items measuring satisfaction with social/role activities. Participants were randomly assigned to either (1) automatic advance to the next question with no opportunity to go back (auto/no back); (2) automatic advance to the next questions with an opportunity to go back (auto/back); (3) next button to go to the next question with no opportunity to go back (next/no back); or (4) next button to go to the next question with an opportunity to go back (next/back). Results We found no difference in missing data, internal consistency reliability, and domain scores by group. Time to complete the survey was about 50% longer when respondents were required to use a next button to go on. Conclusions Given the similarity in missing data, reliability and mean scale scores with or without use of the next button, we recommend automatic advancement to the next item with the option to go back to the previous item.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1181-1184 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Quality of Life Research |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2010 |
Funding
Acknowledgments The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap initiative to develop a computerized system measuring patient-reported outcomes in respondents with a wide range of chronic diseases and demographic characteristics. PROMIS was funded by cooperative agreements to a Statistical Coordinating Center (Northwestern University, PI: David Cella, PhD, U01AR52177) and six Primary Research Sites (Duke University, PI: Kevin Weinfurt, PhD, U01AR52186; University of North Carolina, PI: Darren DeW-alt, MD, MPH, U01AR52181; University of Pittsburgh, PI: Paul A. Pilkonis, PhD, U01AR52155; Stanford University, PI: James Fries, MD, U01AR52158; Stony Brook University, PI: Arthur Stone, PhD, U01AR52170; and University of Washington, PI: Dagmar Amtmann, PhD, U01AR52171). NIH Science Officers on this project are Deborah Ader, PhD, Susan Czajkowski, PhD, Lawrence Fine, MD, DrPH, Louis Quatrano, PhD, Bryce Reeve, PhD, William Riley, PhD, and Susana Serrate-Sztein, PhD. Ron D. Hays, PhD, was also supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (AG020679-01, P30AG021684), NCMHD (2P20MD000182), and the UCLA Older Americans Independence Center (P30-AG028748). See the web site at www.nihpromis.org for additional information on the PROMIS cooperative group.
Keywords
- Computer-based surveys
- PROMIS
- Social/role activities
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
