Effects of an Introductory Letter on Response Rates to a Teen/Parent Telephone Health Survey

Abstract

The authors conducteda pilotstudyin preparationfor a larger investigationthatwill rely ontelephone surveys to assess select health behaviors of teens and their parents, with a focus on indoor tanning. This study used a randomized design to assess the impact of a presurvey letter on response rates to a telephone survey, as well as prevalence estimates of ever having used an indoortanningfacility. The letter didnothavea significanteffect onresponserates or prevalence estimates in the two cities under study. Findings suggest that researchers should not assume that a letter sent in advance of a telephone survey will necessarily increase response rates enough to justify their use.