Open Patient Data Explorative Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
J Med Internet Res. 2020 Sep 2;22(9):e19517. doi: 10.2196/19517.
Being able to generalize research findings to a broader population outside of the study sample is an important goal in surveys on the internet. We conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional, web-based survey with vignettes illustrating different levels of patient involvement to investigate men's preferences regarding participation in health care decision-making. Following randomization into vignette variants, we distributed the survey among men aged 45 to 70 years through the state-authorized digital mailbox provided by the Danish authorities for secure communication with citizens.
This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic representativeness of our sample of men obtained in a nationwide web-based survey using the digital mailbox.
Response rate estimates were established, and comparisons were made between responders and nonresponders in terms of age profiles (eg, average age) and municipality-level information on sociodemographic characteristics.
Among 22,288 men invited during two waves, a total of 6756 (30.31%) participants responded to the survey. In adjusted analyses, responders' characteristics mostly resembled those of nonresponders. Response rates, however, were significantly higher in older men (odds ratio [OR] 2.83 for responses among those aged 65-70 years compared with those aged 45-49 years, 95% CI 2.58-3.11; P<.001) and in rural areas (OR 1.10 compared with urban areas, 95% CI 1.03-1.18; P=.005). Furthermore, response rates appeared lower in areas with a higher tax base (OR 0.89 in the highest tertile, 95% CI 0.81-0.98; P=.02).
Overall, the general population of men aged 45 to 70 years was represented very well by the responders to our web-based survey. However, the imbalances identified highlight the importance of supplementing survey findings with studies of the representativeness of other characteristics of the sample like trait and preference features, so that proper statistical corrections can be made in upcoming analyses of survey responses whenever needed.
能够将研究结果推广到研究样本之外的更广泛人群是互联网调查的一个重要目标。我们进行了一项全国性的、横断面的、基于网络的调查，使用描述不同患者参与程度的案例来研究男性对参与医疗保健决策的偏好。在随机分配到案例变体后，我们通过丹麦当局授权的数字邮箱向 45 至 70 岁的男性分发了这项调查，该邮箱用于与公民进行安全通信。
本研究旨在调查通过数字邮箱获得的全国性网络调查中男性样本的社会人口统计学代表性。
我们确定了回复率估计，并比较了应答者和未应答者在年龄分布（例如，平均年龄）和市一级社会人口特征信息方面的差异。
在两轮邀请的 22288 名男性中，共有 6756 名（30.31%）男性对调查做出了回应。在调整分析中，应答者的特征大多与未应答者相似。然而，在年龄较大的男性（与 45-49 岁年龄组相比，65-70 岁年龄组的应答率为 2.83，95%CI 2.58-3.11；P<.001）和农村地区（与城市地区相比，应答率为 1.10，95%CI 1.03-1.18；P=.005）的应答率显著更高。此外，在税收基础较高的地区，应答率似乎较低（最高三分位组的应答率为 0.89，95%CI 0.81-0.98；P=.02）。
总体而言，我们的网络调查的应答者很好地代表了 45 至 70 岁的男性一般人群。然而，所确定的不平衡现象突出表明，补充调查结果对于研究样本其他特征的代表性很重要，例如特征和偏好特征，以便在需要时对调查应答进行适当的统计校正。
