Comparison of Mail and Telephone Methods to Collect Program Evaluation Data

EVALUATION of health programs often requires data on the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the target population groups.It is frequently assumed that adequate data of this type can only be obtained by means of face- to-face interviews.Since the personal interview method can be relatively complex, expensive, and time-consuming (1), the assumption that other methods should not be used may deter health administrators from undertaking needed evaluation.This study deals with two other methods of data collection.interviewsconducted over the telephone and self-administered mail question¬ naires.These methods have certain advantages.Their cost per completed interview is much lower than that of the face-to-face interview.The telephone interview is the quickest of all survey techniques.Moreover, one traditional disadvantage of the telephone interview.thefact that telephone subscribers are not repre¬ sentative of the general population.is of de¬ creasing importance as the percentage of house¬ holds with telephones continues to rise. Purposes of the StudyWe compared telephone interviews and mail questionnaires as they might be used to help in evaluating one part of a school health program.The two methods were used to gather data on parental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.The methods were then compared with regard to nonresponse rate, cost, and content of