 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
John P. Shields, PhD, MSW, Research Department, Education, Training, & Research Associates (ETR), 5616 Geary Boulevard, Suite 207, San Francisco, CA 94121, (415) 933-6095 x413, johns@etr.org
The use of computer-assisted data collection methods in the evaluation of public health programs is receiving much attention as the expansion of the internet continues. Considering the burdens associated with data collection in school settings and community-based organizations that often impact the quality of collected information, computer-assisted data collection methods hold much promise for the field of public health research and evaluation (i.e., improvement of data quality, reduction of missing data, automatic data entry, etc.). Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (CASI) methods have been used successfully to gather data in a handful of studies, but further investigation is warranted. This paper presents outcome and process data related to the evaluation of a high school-based health promotion and services program using both pencil-and-paper and CASI data collection methods.
ETR Associates, a research firm in the San Francisco bay area, engaged in collaborative partnership with the Department of Children, Youth, & Their Families (DCYF) and the San Francisco Unified School District to implement this study. Results that compare both the experience of the respondent and their responses will be presented and considered in the context of emerging hypotheses in the field. This study examines the hypothesis that respondents experience an increased sense of privacy and security when using a computer-assisted method, and therefore report higher rates of risk behavior than their pencil-and-paper survey respondent counterparts. Additionally, qualitative data related to the subjective experience of using paper-and-pencil surveys and CASI methods are explored.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Evaluation, Computer-Assisted
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Education, Training, & Research Associates
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment