Questionnaire Design

Dr. J Kishore,
MBBS, MD, MSc, PGDEE, PGCHFWM, FIPHA
Maulana Azad Medical College,
New Delhi 110002
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Aim of Questionnaire
• It is to extract useful and accurate
information.
• Any defect in the questionnaire
could have impact in data
collection.

Dr. J Kishore, MAMC

 Use of Questionnaire
• Scientific Research
• Screening
• Diagnostic Tool
• Audit
• Administration
• Demography
• Public relations
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
J Kishore. Ind J O & EM 2000
 Basic Requirements for a
questionnaire design

• Clear Objectives
• Sampling methods
• Sample Size
• Respondent: Literacy, physical
and mental capabilities
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
J Kishore. Ind J O & EM 2000
 Qualities of Questionnaire
• Without ambiguity
• Unbiased
• Appropriateness: studying heat exposure in Cold unit workers
• Intellegibility: it should be understood
• Validity, Reliability
• Logical order
• Capable to cope with all possible responses
• Coded
• Pretested, open to close/structured
• No double barreled questions
• Ethical
• Language
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
J Kishore. Ind J O & EM 2000
 Approaches
• Structured: you set a line of questionnaire in your
survey and all respondents are led through it. This
approach guarantee that all respondents consider
the same issues or topics so their results can be
compared with each other and easily summerized.
• Unstructured: Allow the person being interview to
take the lead and talk about whatever aspects of the
survey topic he or she chooses. It is best suited for
qualitative data in which once opinion or attitude
needs to be assessed.
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Mode of Inquiry
• Based on qualitative or quantitative or
both type of data collection

• a) Face to Face Interview

• b) Telephone Interview
• c) Self-reported/completed
questionnaire
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
Comparison of three modes of data collection
Parameter Interview Telephone Mail/Self
Cost Most Medium Cheapest
expensive expensive
Standardization Depend on Depend on Good &
interviewer interviewer reduces bias
Coverage Depend on Reach widely Reach widely
personal & scattered & scattered
contact area area
Observation Listen & Listen & No
watch, control watch, control observation
question, question,
assess attitude assess attitude
Probing Allow, reduce Allow, reduce Not permitted
misunderstand misunderstand
ing & missing ing & missing
answers answers
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
Comparison of three modes of data collection
Parameter Interview Telephone Mail/Self
Literacy Not require Not require Require

Respondent Language & Language & Not needed

skills skills needed skills needed
Response Highest Medium Lowest
Rate
Privacy Difficult Some Good; no
anonymity for embarrassment
giving replies

Consent Easy to Convincing is Convincing is

convince & possible difficult so
get consent consent
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Designing of questionnaire: Stages
-1
• A. Basic components (Parts)
I. Guidelines on the introduction to, and the ending of
interview/questionnaire
II. A section on identification of the study unit and its
location
III. Consent
IV. The main body of the questionnaire: subdivision is
allowed
V. Interviewer guidelines dispersed throughout the
questionnaire
VI. Filters (Jump) instructions
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Questionnaire Design-2
For example
• Ques. 1. Do you smoke cigarette? 1. Yes, 2. No.
If No, please go to the Ques. No. 4.
• Ques. 2. What brand of Cigarette? _____________.
• Ques. 3. How many per day?
A. 1-5, B.6-10, C. 11-15, D. 16-20, E. More than 20
• Ques. 4. Do you take alcohol? 1. Yes, 2. No.
If No. Please go to the Ques. No. 8.
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
Designing of questionnaire: Stages-3
• B. Practical Steps
1. Write out, as breifly as you can.
2. Make a list of the information
3. Decide the main section (Components)
a) A section on identification/address
b) Separate section for each aspect of study
4. Within each section and for each item of
information required, write out the questions
5. Check each of the questions against the aims
6. Check whether the list of questions will obtain
and record all the Dr.
information
J Kishore, MAMC necessary.
 Designing of questionnaire: Stages-4
7. Examine each and every questions following:
I) Is it Necessary?
II) It is Clear and Unambiguous?
III) Is it Simple and Short?
IV) Is it A reasonable question to ask?
V) Is it Non-offensive?
VI) Should it be an “open” or “close” question?
• Closed Question offers a list of possible options (Answers)
from which the respondent must select one or two answer
• Open Question offers the respondent to answer in her/his
own words.
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Designing of questionnaire: Stages-5
For Example
Ques. What are the controlling methods of air pollution?
Rank according to your priority.
A. Advancement of technology
B. Ban on polluting industries
C. Plantation
D. Widening of roads
E. Any other, please specify (Dumping Category)

List of answer could be exhaustive, for example

Ques. What was the cause of death of your child?
A. An accident or serious injury.
B. Pneumonia.
C. Diarrhea.
D. Some other reason, please specify
Dr. J Kishore, (Dumping category)
MAMC
Designing of questionnaire: Stages-6
8. Check that the interview does not take too
long
9. Think of Layout and presentation
10. Write a draft
11. Pilot and evalution
* Validity
* Test-Retest Reliability
* Acceptability
12. Enhancing the reliability of interviewers by
conducting training
13. Conducting survey
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Validity indices of DSM-IIIR CIDI Against
DSM III R Clinical Diagnosis
Clinical Diagnosis Total
+ -
CIDI DSM III + 28 1 29
a b a+b
- 20 21 41
c d c+d
Total 48 22 70
a+c b+d a+b+c+d
Sensitivity=a/a+c 59.1%
Specificity=d/b+d 95.4%
Positive Predictive Value=a/a+b 96.6%
Negative Predictive Value=d/c+d 51.2%
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
Kishore J 1999
• Check Respondent’s Consistency
• For example
Ques. How many children would you like
to have?
Ques. What do you consider the ideal (best)
number of children for you?

Dr. J Kishore, MAMC

 Codes
• Numeric and alphabetic codes transfor answers
into variables that can be tabulated and
analyzed statically.
• For nominal variable, the code can be labels
without meaning, For example: “1” for Hindu,
“2” for Muslim, “3” Christian, etc.
• For ordinal variable the numeric value has
inherent meaning that reflects the rank order,
for example, “0” for non-smoker, “1” smoking
less than 1 pack per day, “2” 1-2 packs per
day, etc. Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Scores
• Answer to the questions are given in a score
as a way of measuring an abstract
characteristics: Measuring attitude,
• e.g., “1” Not important, “4” very important
How important of these items for maintaining the health of
workers?

Importance
A. Annual health check 1 2 3 4
B. Health & Safety training 1 2 3 4
C. Nutrition 1 2 3 4
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
 Scales
• Summative Scales: Likert scales is used to quantify
attitude and behavior
• e.g., Please read the statement below and answer
these questions using one of the five options (Tick)
Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree

1. Smoking should be banned - - - - -

2. Compulsory testing for HIV - - - - -
3. Compulsory Sex education in - - - - -
Secondary schools

Dr. J Kishore, MAMC

 Scales
• Cummulative (Guttman) Scales: A series of
statements that express increasing intensity of a
characteristics.
Ques. Circle the letter of every statement that you agree with:
A. Asbestos can cause lung cancer
B. Asbestos is an important cause of cancer
C. Asbestos is a very important cause of lung cancer and death.
D. Asbestos is the most important cause of lung cancer and death in India
Ques. What is the highest level of education you have completed?
A. Primary School certificate
B. High School Certificate
C. Undergraduate Degree
D. Postgraduate Degree
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
E. Doctoral or higher Degree
 Scales
• Multiple Choice Questions: where respondent
must choose just one answer from many choices;
use in competitive exam or screening the disease
e.g., Ques. Which one of the following is the most common methods of
transmission of HIV?
A. Sharing meals
B. Sharing needles
C. Sharing towel

e.g., For TB Screening

Ques Which symptoms do you experienced for last one month?
A. Cough
B. Fever
C. Weight loss
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC
D. Loss of appetite
 Scales
• Visual /leaner Analogue Scale: The
characteristics such as preference, attitude,
pain, hunger can be measured

0 50 100

No stress Intolerable
Stress

Dr. J Kishore, MAMC

 Scale
• Sentence Completion Test
• This is very useful scale to measure internal
conflict, stress, personality, etc.
• Commonly used in psychiatric assessment

Dr. J Kishore, MAMC

Thanks
Dr. J Kishore, MAMC