Improving Surveys by Sharing Knowledge
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Abstract: The National Center for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) Collaborating Center for Questionnaire Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) conducted a cognitive interviewing study to evaluate the Life History Calendar (LHC) used by the Division of Vital Statistics on the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). The NSFG is a nationally representative household survey that gathers in-depth information on pregnancy, infertility, and reproductive health. The NSFG is an approximately 75-minute, interviewer-administered survey that collects detailed information on respondent event histories, such as cohabitation and marriages, contraceptive use, and periods of sexual activity. Because recall can be challenging with this level of detail, a hard-copy calendar covering the time periods referred to in various sections of the survey is offered as an aid to respondents. The LHC is intended to help respondents organize key personal events, which are then used as landmarks to cue memories of the dates of other events measured in the survey.
Willson, S. . (2020). Cognitive Interview Evaluation of the National Survey of Family Growth Life History Calendar . National Center for Health Statistics - CCQDER. Hyattsville, MD https://wwwn.cdc.gov/QBank/Report.aspx?1213