The Use of Telephone Interview Methodology to Obtain 24-hour Dietary Recalls
Section snippets
Sample
Women aged 20 to 49 years were chosen for the telephone survey because they were expected to be knowledgeable about the preparation of foods they consumed. The study population was limited to one sex/age group to ensure a sample size large enough for comparison with the CSFII. Data were collected from January through March 1998. For the benefit of comparability, the CSFII sample was restricted to female respondents who were 20 to 49 years old at the time of interview and who recorded their
Statistical Analyses
Sample weights were incorporated into the analysis to compensate for varying selection probabilities, differing response rates, and potential sampling deficiencies. Sources of varying selection probabilities include the varying number of eligible women and number of residential telephones in a household. Differing response rates result when certain subgroups are under- or overrepresented. Potential sampling deficiencies occur when certain populations are undersampled or not sampled at all, such
Response Rates
Of the 6,000 initial telephone numbers, 871 were determined to be nonresidential/nonworking before data collection began; 1,813 were determined to be nonresidential/nonworking during data collection, and no one answered at 551. Of the remaining 2,765 working residential telephone numbers, 996 households identified had an eligible woman and 783 of those women agreed to participate. Seven hundred women completed the 24-hour dietary recall. Thus, of the households contacted by telephone who had an
Discussion
The first goal of the Telephone Feasibility Study was to determine whether collecting food consumption data over the telephone was indeed feasible. Our results confirm that it is feasible to collect detailed food intake data over the telephone using procedures and instruments similar to those used for the 1994-1996 CSFII. The second goal of the telephone study was to compare the responses from the telephone survey with those of a comparable pooled subsample from the 1994-1996 CSFII. Our results
Applications
■ We conclude that the use of the telephone is a practical, feasible, and valid method for collecting 24-hour dietary recall data in national food consumption surveys.
■ Efficacy of the telephone method may have been increased by the use of the multiple-pass approach and 2-dimensional visuals to collect the 24-hour dietary recall.
■ Underreporting may have been less of a problem with the telephone survey because greater amounts of major nutrients were reported than the pooled 1994-1996 CSFII
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