Health - Epidemiology Data Collection

Free Download research paper "Reducing Volunteer Bias in Telephone Surveys"

The Foundation’s research methods and flexibility set it apart and have been utilised in the collection of health data for over seven years.

The HVRF is a leader in data collection for research which:

is used to identify community attitudes and behaviours towards health related issues;
monitors the success of health education procedures;
examines attitudes and behaviours which may need to be changed through education and health policies; and
can create a comprehensive base upon which changing attitudes in the population can be measured.

An emphasis on collecting reliable and accurate information is paramount in the field of health monitoring. We have developed streamlined data collection methods and carry out surveys involving samples ranging from 300 to 20,000 interviews.

Our interviewers have extensive experience in asking sensitive health related questions with many having been employed by the Foundation for 10 years or more.

The HVRF can assist in:

policy development
health issue-related behaviour
influencing budgetary decisions by providing research
assessing the success or otherwise of State and local health policies
the piloting and development of questionnaires

Specific groups can be targeted:

women or men
the elderly or other age groups
geographically determined groups
people from non-English speaking backgrounds

Our methods set us apart

Health industry professionals appreciate that collecting reliable and accurate information on health related community issues and behaviour requires a rigorous and comprehensive approach to data collection, on which the Foundation prides itself. Crucial to this success is our Computer-Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) infrastructure incorporating a large team of interviewers who are fully experienced and trained in health related interviewing.

The Foundation understands that an accurate and representative data collection requires a high response rate. Our methods frequently ensure that health surveys have a refusal rate of no greater than 25 per cent. The Foundation has an ongoing process for improving data collection methods, including techniques for minimising selection and measurement bias.

Examples of past projects include:

Health Promotion Survey - a State-wide (NSW) telephone survey collecting information at the regional level on attitudes and behaviour towards a variety of health issues such as diet, HIV, AIDS, exercise and mental health
Physical Activity Survey - a State-wide (NSW) survey identifying variables influencing heart disease and stroke in the population
Additional Physical Activity Surveys conducted for various Health Areas within NSW, allowing for more accuracy in analysis of main survey responses in a smaller area: Western Sydney, Camden East, Wentworth and South Eastern

Health and Relationships
Various community surveys on issues such as: drug use, sale of cigarettes to minors, breast cancer, breast screening, skin cancer, dyspepsia, home health and safety issues, asthma, blood pressure and lung and prostrate cancer.

For more information on health surveys, contact Andrew Searles