title: The impact of T-ACASI interviewing on reported drug use among men who have sex with men.
abstract: Measurements of drug use and other illicit or stigmatized behaviors are subject to nontrivial underreporting biases. During in-person surveys, respondents are more likely to report such behaviors when interviewed using techniques that maximize interviewee privacy, e.g., use of paper SAQs and audio-CASI rather than questioning by human interviewers. Until recently, respondents in telephone surveys could not be offered similar privacy. A new technology, telephone audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (T-ACASI) overcomes this limitation of telephone surveys by allowing respondents to respond to a computer. A randomized experimental test of T-ACASI was embedded in the Urban Men's Health Study (UMHS). UMHS surveyed a probability sample of 2,881 men from four United States cities and who reported having sex with men. Respondents interviewed using T-ACASI reported a higher prevalence of drug use and drug-related behaviors than respondents interviewed by human interviewers. However, survey respondents were more likely to break off an interview when the interview was conducted by a T-ACASI computer rather than by a human interviewer.
authors.affiliation: Research Computing Division, Research Triangle Institute, Washington DC, USA.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Gribble
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Cooley
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pollack
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002641:Chicago; D003201:Computers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012495:San Francisco; D012650:Self Disclosure; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data