The New Zealand Partner Relations Survey: methodological results of a national telephone survey.
OBJECTIVE
To implement and evaluated a national survey of sexual behaviour using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).


METHODS
A two-stage stratified national sample survey in which households were selected by random digit-dialing (RDD), with a single eligible interviewee per selected household, followed by subsample surveys of non-contacts and refusals to determine eligibility.


METHODS
A 15-minute questionnaire based on the Global Programme on AIDS (GPA)/World Health Organization (WHO) protocol was administered by telephone to a nationally representative sample of 2361 respondents in the 18-54-year age group.


RESULTS
The overall response rate was 63%, but lower in the cities, in the 18-24 age group, and among men. Three-quarters of surveyed non-contacts, and a quarter of re-surveyed refusals, did not meet the eligibility criteria for the study. Less than 20% of refusals cited the subject matter of the survey as the reason for refusal. Item non-response (< 1%) increased with question sensitivity, and varied by respondent age, ethnicity and partnership status. Men reported twice as many adult lifetime partners as women.


CONCLUSIONS
The GPA/WHO protocol can be successfully adapted to administration by telephone, with adequate response rates and exceptionally low levels of item non-response. CATI is a cost-effective method for collecting national information on sexual behaviour in countries where there is a high level of telephone ownership. Used in conjunction with RDD, it can overcome problems of sample design in settings where there is no comprehensive population-sampling frame. Checks on item sensitivity and partner estimates suggest that acceptable levels of reliability can also be achieved.
Davis
P B
PB
Department of Community Health, Auckland Medical School, New Zealand.
Yee
R L
RL
Chetwynd
J
J
McMillan
N
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013689:Telephone