Measuring sexual orientation and gender expression among middle-aged and older women in a cancer screening study.
BACKGROUND
The Cancer Screening Project for Women is about the experiences of legally unmarried women aged 40 to 75 years.


METHODS
Prior to the implementation of a survey of experiences with breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings, we used cognitive-based interviewing to evaluate questions for measuring sexual orientation and gender expression.


RESULTS
We conducted interviews with 40 women, 19 who partner with women and 21 who partner with men. Interviews highlighted respondent confusion, clarified the meaning of terms, and improved the comprehension and utility of questions.


CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive interview techniques can improve the validity and reliability of data collected by cancer screening programs.
Clark
Melissa A
MA
Department of Community Health and Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, RI 02912, USA. Melissa_Clark@brown.edu
Armstrong
Gene
G
Bonacore
Laura
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006266:Health Education; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires