Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Iredell, H.
Right arrow Articles by Granich, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Iredell, H.
Right arrow Articles by Granich, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Health Education Research, Vol. 19, No. 2, 159-164, April 1, 2004
© 2004 Oxford University Press

Introductory postcards: do they increase response rate in a telephone survey of older persons?

H. Iredell1,2, T. Shaw1, P. Howat1, R. James1 and J. Granich1

1 WA Centre for Health Promotion Research, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia 2 Correspondence to: H. Iredell; e-mail: h.iredell{at}curtin.edu.au

The purpose of this study was to assess whether contact by mail via an introductory postcard would increase the response rate to a telephone survey in a selected population of 348 people 60 years and older. Of this group, 208 were sent a postcard introducing the study and informing them that someone would call in the next 1–2 weeks to conduct a telephone interview. The remaining sample of 140 did not receive the introductory postcard. Amongst the potential participants who were contacted and able to participate (n = 240), the response rate for completed interview was 58.0% for those sent a postcard and 42.3% for those who were not. The refusal rate was 25.3% (postcard sent) and 37.2% (not sent a postcard). When the outcome of contact is collapsed to two categories, ‘agreed to participate’ and ‘refusal’, the response rate to participate was 73.5% (sent a postcard) and 59.0% (not sent a postcard) ({chi}2 5.14, d.f. 1, sign. 0.023). The response rate amongst those who recall being sent a postcard rose to 86.0%. Whether agreeing to participate or refusing to be involved in the survey was dependent on being sent an introductory postcard. The conclusion is that mailing a postcard prior to the first telephone contact increases the participation rates of older persons in a telephone survey at very little extra cost (A$0.60 per person).


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Public Opin QHome page
E. D. Leeuw, M. Callegaro, J. Hox, E. Korendijk, and G. Lensvelt-Mulders
The Influence of Advance Letters on Response in Telephone Surveys: A Meta-Analysis
Public Opin Q, September 1, 2007; 71(3): 413 - 443.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.