Telephone Surveys Underestimate Cigarette Smoking among African-Americans

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Diane Ake (Creator)

Irma Corral (Creator)

Hope Landrine (Creator)

Latrice C. Pichon (Creator)

Scott C. Roesch (Creator)

Denise Adams Simms (Creator)

Feion Villodas (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Background: This study tested the hypothesis that data from random digit-dial telephone surveys underestimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking among African-American adults. Method: A novel, community-sampling method was used to obtain a statewide, random sample of N?=?2118 California (CA) African-American/Black adults, surveyed door-to-door. This Black community sample was compared to the Blacks in the CA Health Interview Survey (N?=?2315), a statewide, random digit-dial telephone survey conducted simultaneously. Results: Smoking prevalence was significantly higher among community (33%) than among telephone survey (19%) Blacks, even after controlling for sample differences in demographics. Conclusion: Telephone surveys underestimate smoking among African-Americans and probably underestimate other health risk behaviors as well. Alternative methods are needed to obtain accurate data on African-American health behaviors and on the magnitude of racial disparities in them.

Additional Information

Publication

Other

Frontiers in Public Health; 1: p. 1-8

Language: English

Date: 2013

Keywords

blacks, smoking, telephone health surveys, methodology

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