Use of an online questionnaire for follow-up of young female students recruited to a randomised controlled trial of chlamydia screening

Atherton, Helen, Oakeshott, Pippa, Aghaizu, Adamma, Hay, Phillip and Kerry, Sally (2010) Use of an online questionnaire for follow-up of young female students recruited to a randomised controlled trial of chlamydia screening. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 64 (7), 580-584. (doi:10.1136/jech.2009.098830).

Abstract

Background: randomised controlled trials often rely on questionnaires for follow-up.

Objective: to compare response rates to an online and postal 12-month follow-up questionnaire on sexual health in female students who took part in a chlamydia screening trial.

Methods: 1329 sexually active female students aged 16?27 were recruited from 12 universities and further education (FE) colleges. The 299 participants recruited between September 2004 and February 2005 were sent a postal questionnaire after 12?months. The 1030 participants recruited between March and December 2005 were contacted by email after 12?months and given a weblink to an online questionnaire.

Results: the response rates to the 12-month questionnaire in the online and postal groups were 51% and 29% 4?weeks after follow-up commenced (RR 1.78 (1.47 to 2.14)) and 72% and 59% after 3?months. After adjusting for ethnicity, smoking, type of educational institution (university or FE college) and subject studied (health-related or not), the RR at 4?weeks was 1.88 (1.42 to 2.50). However, a prior telephone call to confirm contact details increased the response rate at 3?months in the postal group. In the online group, university students, those of white ethnicity and non-smokers had higher response rates at 4?weeks.

Conclusions: in this young student population, an online questionnaire was quicker, cheaper and more efficient than a postal questionnaire. However, some FE college students did not have an email address. Telephone prompts and postal questionnaires were essential in obtaining a good response rate.

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Contributors

Author: Helen Atherton

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