Recent trends in government that demand increased accountability encourage programs to employ the use of telephone-based surveys to monitor changes in desired program outcomes. These categorically funded surveys have traditionally been designed as stand alone projects, to evaluate a specific program's effectiveness from a designated source of funds (e.g. state adult tobacco surveys). At the same time a state investigates the effectiveness of its tobacco program, the state may also conduct the federal/state behavioral health risk factor survey that monitors, a range of behavioral, heath and health system issues. Coordinating the surveys' question and combining the data for analysis will increase the states ability to detect smaller changes in the overall program, allow monitoring of program effects at a sub-state level, and provide additional targeted information to local program partners.
This paper presents a methodology for combining the two surveys. It examines issues associated with: 1) question selection and coordination, 2) response bias associated with data collect timing differences, 3) adjusting for differences in patterns of non-response, 4) procedures for combining samples, given differences in sample selection and weighting. Additionally, the paper examines the administrative advantages and disadvantages of combining the surveys, including the cost implications, small area analytic issues, and the organizational coordination required.
Learning Objectives: Describe the policy considerations for combining state level population surveys. Articulate the procedures for adjusting the surveys to account for the difference in collection processes. Identify the advantages and disadvantages to the process of combining surveys.
Keywords: Survey, Accountability
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