Telephone coverage and health survey estimates: evaluating the need for concern about wireless substitution.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether the exclusion of adults without landline telephones may bias estimates derived from health-related telephone surveys. METHODS: We took data from the 2004 and 2005 National Health Interview Survey and used logistic regression to compare the odds of behavioral risk factors and health care service use for adults with landline telephones to those for adults with only wireless telephones and adults without any telephone service. RESULTS: When interviewed, 7.2% of adults, including those who did and did not have wireless telephones, did not have landline telephones. Relative to adults with landline telephones, adults without landline telephones had greater odds of smoking and being uninsured, and they had lower odds of having diabetes, having a usual place for medical care, and having received an influenza vaccination in the past year. CONCLUSIONS: As people substitute wireless telephones for landline telephones, the percentage of adults without landline telephones has increased significantly but is still low, which minimizes the bias resulting from their exclusion from telephone surveys. Bias greater than 1 percentage point is expected only for estimates of health insurance, smoking, binge drinking, having a usual place for care, and receiving an influenza vaccination.

The National Survey of Children's Health: a new data resource.

CONTEXT: Federal and state maternal and child health programs are responsible for promoting and improving the health and well-being of children. To support achievement of this goal, the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in partnership with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed a new survey that will provide uniform national and state data on the health and well-being of children, as well as the characteristics of their families and neighborhoods. PURPOSE: The National Survey of Children's Health was designed to produce reliable and representative state- and national-level estimates for Healthy People 2010 national prevention objectives, for each state's Title V needs assessment, and for Title V program planning and evaluation. In addition, it will provide a new data resource for researchers, advocacy groups, and other interested parties. It is anticipated that this survey will be repeated periodically, making trend analysis possible. METHODS: This survey was conducted using the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS) mechanism, which shares the random-digit-dial sampling frame of the National Immunization Survey (sponsored by the National Immunization Program and NCHS). Using the SLAITS platform, interviews on approximately 2000 children were conducted in each state and the District of Columbia. The parent or guardian most knowledgeable about the child completed a battery of questions on health and development, health insurance coverage, access to care, utilization of health care services, presence of a medical home, family functioning, parental health, and neighborhood characteristics. Data collection began in January 2003 and continued through April 2004. Summary reports and electronic data files will be available to the public by early 2005. CONCLUSION: This is the second state and national survey jointly completed by MCHB and NCHS. It is designed to complement the 2001 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs by providing data on the health of the general child population.

The impact of touch-tone data entry on reports of HIV and STD risk behaviors in telephone interviews.

Respondents concerns about privacy can decrease reporting of HIV and STD risk behaviors in general population telephone surveys. The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of an experimental study evaluating whether one method for increasing privacy, touch-tone data entry (TTDE), is effective in increasing estimates of sexual behaviors from a population-based survey. We conducted a random-digit-dial telephone survey of adults in New Jersey (n = 405), with half the respondents using TTDE for answering sexual behavior questions. TTDE led to increased reports of same-sex sexual behavior, certain HIV and STD risk factors, and concern about one s risk for HIV and STD transmission. TTDE also narrowed the difference between men s and women s reports of the number of different sexual partners over the past 10 years. The feasibility and limitations of TTDE are discussed, as well as possible alternative interpretations that consider the impact of TTDE on the dynamics of the interaction between the respondent and the interviewer.

The national survey of children with special health care needs.

CONTEXT: The federal and state-level Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) programs are vested with the responsibility for planning and developing systems of care for children with special health care needs. To support achievement of this goal, the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), in partnership with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), has developed a new survey that will provide uniform national and state data on the prevalence and impact of special health care needs among children. PURPOSE: The National Survey of CSHCN is designed to produce reliable state- and national-level estimates of the prevalence of special health care needs using MCHB's definition of CSHCN. It will also provide baseline estimates for federal and state Title V Maternal and Child Health performance measures, for Healthy People 2010 national prevention objectives, and for each state's Title V needs assessment. In addition, it will provide a resource for researchers, advocacy groups, and other interested parties. It is anticipated that this survey will be repeated periodically, thereby making trend analysis possible. METHODS: This survey is being conducted using the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey mechanism, which shares the random-digit-dial sampling frame of the National Immunization Survey (sponsored by the National Immunization Program and NCHS). Using the CSHCN Screener, developed under the auspices of the Foundation for Accountability, 750 children with special health care needs will be identified and selected from each state and from the District of Columbia. Parents or guardians of these children then complete a comprehensive battery of questions on demographics, health and functional status, health insurance coverage, adequacy of health insurance coverage, public program participation, access to care, utilization of health care services, care coordination, satisfaction with care, and the impact of the special need on the family. Data collection began in October 2000 and will continue through March 2002. Summary reports and electronic data files will be available to the public within 6 to 12 months following completion of data collection. CONCLUSIONS: The National Survey of CSHCN will offer a unique data source for individuals and organizations interested in understanding and improving service delivery for CSHCN. It is an accomplishment that reflects the contributions of state and federal Title V programs, family organizations, provider organizations, health services researchers, and the broader maternal and child health community.