Effect of Interrupted Interview on Survey Responses and Data Quality: an Implication for Validity of Demographic Health Survey Outcome Open Access

Abstract

Background
The Demographic Health Survey (DHS) is one of, if not the only, most widely used source of data for critical policy decision making, planning, and implementing, as well as monitoring and evaluating health and public health programs. Like most survey data collection, it is not devoid of data quality issues resulting from interrupted interview because, even though it reports the presence of a third party during interview, it fails to provide measures to correct for this effect on data quality, which can have implications for the validity of such data.

Aim of study
This study assesses the effect of Interrupted Interview on data quality of 2008 DHSs of two West African countries: Ghana and Nigeria. This study also proposes some implications for policy and public health programs and provides recommendations to improve future DHSs.

Method
Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done on/for an individual married women survey to assess the level and significant association of interrupted interview on response pattern in relation to both nature of question and socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.

Result
Results show a relatively low proportion of interrupted interview among married women from both countries: Ghana, 7.8%; Nigeria, 6%. They also show significant association between interrupted interview and socio-demographic characteristics, such as education, place and region of residence, and household wealth status of respondents as follows: Ghana, place of residence p=0.002; region of residence, p=0.000; and wealth, p=0.003; Nigeria, age, p=0.000; education, p=0.000; religion, p=0.000; parity, p=0.001; and place/region of residence, wealth and ethnicity, p=0.000. The result, however, indicates no significant association between interrupted interview and nature of question except for >1 sex partners in the last 12 months among married women in Nigeria.

Conclusion
It is therefore concluded that the issue of interrupted interview should not be overlooked because it has an effect on the responses provided, which can have an implication for the quality of data generated by one of the most reliable data sources, the DHS. Measures should be instituted to correct for such effects in not only the data collection process, but also the design, collection, and analysis processes of future DHSs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1...1

Introduction...1
Aim of study...4
Specific objectives...5

Chapter 2...6

Literature Review...6
Social Desirability effect and Data quality...6
Ethical Issues...16

Chapter 3...23

Methodology...23
Study context...23
Dataset...25
Interviewers' Training...27
Analysis samples...27
Variables...28
Outcome Variables...28
Control variables...29
Analysis Method...30
Ethical Consideration...31

Chapter 4...32

Result...32
Bivariate Analysis...33
Logistic regression...35
Multivariate Logistic Regression...40
Multivariate Logistic regression for Ghana...40
Multivariate Logistic Analysis for Sensitive Outcome variables...40
Multivariate Logistic Analysis for Non Sensitive Outcome Variables (Ghana)...43
Multivariate Logistic Regression of Nigerian data...45
Multivariate Logistic Analysis for Sensitive Outcome Variables (Nigeria)...46
Multivariate Logistic Analysis for non sensitive Outcome Variables (Nigeria)...50

Chapter 5...53

Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation...53
Conclusion...56
Recommendation...57
References...59
Appendices...74

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Keyword	Sensitive Question Non Sensitive question Interrupted Interview Data Quality Social Desirability Effect
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Stephenson, Robert, Emory University
Committee Members	McFarland, Deborah A, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs

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