Sigrid Vivo, Sandra I. McCoy, Paula López-Peña, Rodrigo Muñoz, Monica I. Larrieu
Abstract:
To identify the most effective survey interview method for measuring risk behavior among young adults in the Dominican Republic.
1200 young adults were randomized to one of four different survey interview methods: two interviewer-assisted methods [face-to-face interview (FTFI), and computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)], and two self-administered methods [self-administered interview (SAI), and audio computer-assisted, self-administered interview (ACASI)]. Youth were asked about a wide range of youth-specific risk behaviors, including violence, substance use, as well as sexual and reproductive health. Quality of data collected was examined by looking at how the survey was administered, including identifying two sources of errors that typically threaten data quality1: (i) errors at the individual level with regards to survey methodology performance and cognitive difficulties [measured with the Response Consistency Index (RCI)]; and (ii) errors at the aggregate level (how desirability bias, interviewer gender, and interview privacy settings affect responses).