title: Surveying free and low-cost survey software.
abstract: Surveys are widely used to gather health information from a sample of individuals. This brief report reviews 14 free and low-cost software packages (< dollar 1,000) that can be used when conducting health surveys with a limited budget. Information available on the Internet or directly from the provider in response to inquiry was reviewed for key features used by health survey researchers. Many free or low-cost software options appropriate for questionnaire development are readily available. Questionnaire mode and complexity, data management and analytical needs, and computing environment are all important considerations in selecting survey software.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Baltimore MD 21201, USA. opokras@epi.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Carter-Pokras
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McClellan
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Zambrana
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D012107:Research Design; D012984:Software / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires