Differential response effects of data collection mode in a cancer screening study of unmarried women ages 40-75 years: A randomized trial

Background: Little is known about the impact of data collection method on self-reported cancer screening behaviours, particularly among hard-to-reach populations. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of data collection mode on response to indicators of cancer screenings by unmarried middle-aged and older women. Methods: Three survey methods were evaluated for collecting data about mammography and Papanicolaou ( hereafter, Pap) testing among heterosexual and sexual minority ( e. g., lesbian and bisexual) women. Women ages 40-75 were recruited from June 2003-June 2005 in Rhode Island. They were randomly assigned to receive: Self-Administered Mailed Questionnaire [ SAMQ; N = 202], Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview [ CATI; N = 200], or Computer-Assisted Self-Interview [ CASI; N = 197]. Logistic regression models were computed to assess survey mode differences for 13 self-reported items related to cancer screenings, adjusting for age, education, income, race, marital status, partner gender, and recruitment source. Results: Compared to women assigned to CATI, women assigned to SAMQ were less likely to report two or more years between most recent mammograms ( CATI = 23.2% vs. SAMQ = 17.7%; AOR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-0.8) and women assigned to CASI were slightly less likely to report being overdue for mammography ( CATI = 16.5% vs. CASI = 11.8%; AOR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-1.0) and Pap testing ( CATI = 14.9% vs. CASI = 10.0%; AOR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.2-1.0). There were no other consistent mode effects. Conclusion: Among participants in this sample, mode of data collection had little effect on the reporting of mammography and Pap testing behaviours. Other measures such as efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the mode should also be considered when determining the most appropriate form of data collection for use in monitoring indicators of cancer detection and control.