title: Comparability of skin screening histories obtained by telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires: a randomized crossover study.
abstract: The comparability of information collected through telephone interviews and information collected through mailed questionnaires has not been well studied. As part of the first phase of a randomized controlled trial of population screening for melanoma in Queensland, Australia, the authors compared histories of skin examination reported in telephone interviews and self-administered mailed questionnaires. A total of 1,270 subjects each completed a telephone interview and a mailed questionnaire 1 month apart in 1999; 564 subjects received the interview first, and 706 received the mailed questionnaire first. Agreement between the two methods was 91.2% and 88.6% for whole-body skin examination by a physician in the last 12 months and the last 3 years, respectively, and 81.9% for whole-body skin self-examination in the last 12 months. Agreement was lower for "any" skin self-examination. Agreement between the two methods was similar regardless of whether the interview or the questionnaire was administered first. Missing data were less frequent for interviews (0.5%) than for mailed questionnaires (3.8%). Costs were estimated at A$9.55 (US$6.21) per completed interview and A$3.01 (US$1.96) per questionnaire. The similarity of results obtained using telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires, coupled with the substantially higher cost of telephone interviews, suggests that self-administered mailed questionnaires are an appropriate method of assessing this health behavior.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Unit, Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Queensland Cancer Fund, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. joannea@cfepi.org.au
authors.forename: Joanne F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aitken
authors.forename: Philippa H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Youl
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janda
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elwood
authors.forename: Ian T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lowe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015709:Correspondence as Topic; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011793:Queensland; D016353:Self-Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D013689:Telephone / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*