Social Science and Dentistry

cover art

Cover Date:
September 2013
Print ISSN:
2040-4263
Vol:
2
Issue:
2

Collecting psychosocial self-report data in oral health research: impact of literacy level and computerised administration

Objectives: In oral and other health research, participant literacy levels may impact the quality of data obtained through self-report (e.g., degree of data missingness). This study addressed whether computerised administration of a battery of psychosocial instruments used in an oral health disparities research protocol yielded more complete data than paper-and-pencil administration, and aimed to determine the role of general literacy in differences in data missingness between administration types. Design: Oral health data were obtained from 1,652 adolescent and adult participants who were administered a large questionnaire battery via either paper-and-pencil or tablet personal computer. Number of unanswered items for each participant was compared across administration mode. For a subset of 171 participants who were randomised to one of the administration modes, general literacy and satisfaction with the questionnaire experience also were assessed. Results: Participants assigned to complete the oral health questionnaire battery via tablet PC were significantly more likely than those assigned to the paper-and-pencil condition to have missing data for at least one item (p < .001); however, for participants who had at least one missing item, paper-and-pencil administration was associated with a greater number of items missed than was tablet PC administration (p < .001). Across administration modes, participants with higher literacy level completed the questionnaire battery more rapidly than their lower literacy counterparts (p < .001). Participant satisfaction was similar for both modes of questionnaire administration (p ≥ .29). Conclusions: These results suggest that a certain type of data missingness may be decreased through the use of a tablet computer for questionnaire administration.

Key words: Literacy, missing data, questionnaires, surveys, self-reports

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
80
Page End
87
Authors
Cameron L Randall, Daniel W McNeil, Richard J Crout, Robert J Weyant, Mary L Marazita

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 49
  3. 49

  1. The mouth
  2. 50
  3. 57

  1. The Cognitive Vulnerability Model and its role in dental anxiety acquisition and maintenance
  2. 58
  3. 72

  1. The Impact of Dental Disease on a sample of Aboriginal adults living in the Central Coast Region of New South Wales Australia
  2. 73
  3. 79

  1. Collecting psychosocial self-report data in oral health research: impact of literacy level and computerised administration
  2. 80
  3. 87

  1. Pre-operative expectations and recovery outcomes for third molar extraction surgery in Nigeria
  2. 88
  3. 94

  1. Applying psychological models to evidence-based care by the dental team: a summary paper
  2. 95
  3. 100