Use of Consumer Panel Survey Data for Public Health Communication Planning

• Activity Number: 400
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 15, 2002 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Health Policy Statistics*
• Author(s): William Pollard*+
• Affiliation(s): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Keywords: Health Surveys ; Public Health

Abstract

In the field of market research, survey samples are often drawn from large groups of individuals and households who have agreed to participate in surveys concerning products and lifestyle, and these groups are known as panels. Research firms develop and maintain panels of up to a million or more individuals across the range of national demographics for use in such research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) licenses syndicated national mail panel survey data for understanding audiences for health communication planning. The surveys provide data on health beliefs, intentions, behaviors, as well as health status, and they can be linked to media habits and general lifestyle data. Data on hand include samples of 2,500-3,000 respondents per year from 1995 to 2001. In this presentation, the reliability and validity of the data are examined, and comparisons are made with national health survey data obtained through standard probability sampling methods. The literature on panel sampling methodology is reviewed. The advantages and the limitations of this methodology are outlined, and the implications for use in public health communication planning are discussed.