Evaluation of Consumer Panel Survey Data for Public Health Communication Planning: An Analysis of 16 Years of Annual Survey Data from 1995-2010

• Activity Number: 252
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 1, 2011 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Health Policy Statistics
• Author(s): William E. Pollard*+
• Companies: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Keywords: Health Survey Methods ; Public Health Communication

Abstract

Consumer survey data on media habits, lifestyle, and product use can provide useful information for understanding audiences and developing messages for health communication planning. A widely-used methodology for conducting consumer surveys involves sampling from panels of individuals and households that have been prerecruited to participate in surveys and other market research. Commercial research firms develop and maintain panels of several hundred thousand or more individuals across a full range of demographics for use in market research. In this presentation, data from an annual consumer health survey from 1995 to 2010 with 3,000 to 4,000 respondents per year are examined. Comparisons are made with other national survey data from these same years obtained through national probability sampling methods. Overall response levels, demographic breakdowns, and trends over time are examined. The literature on the use of panels is referenced and the implications for heath communication planning are discussed.