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Objective: To assess the reliability of the Kids' Activity and Nutrition Questionnaire (KAN-Q) as part of a tiered process for developing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education tools. Methods: The KAN-Q was administered at 2 time points to assess internal consistency using standardized values of Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient for continuous variables, Cohen's kappa (k) statistic for categorical variables, and the weighted k statistic for ordinal data. Results: Data were collected from 119 fourth graders. Cronbach a was adequate for behavior (.71) and knowledge (.72) scales and nutrition behavior (.78) and nutrition knowledge (.75) subscales. Test-retest reliability was generally acceptable, with intraclass correlation coefficients from 0.40 to 0.75 and k coefficients showing fair to substantial agreement (0.30 to 0.72). Conclusions and Implications: The KAN-Q is a practical and reliable questionnaire for school-based administration that aligns directly with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education evaluation priorities.

In recent years with the increasingly world-wide introduction of the Internet, the use of online questionnaires has increased dramatically. However in Thailand, there has been only very limited systematic research on web-based design in Thailand, including for Thai undergraduates who are the biggest group of Thai internet users. The particular characteristics of the Thai language (e.g. no capital letters, no break between words, Thai script etc.) present some interesting challenges for online Thai surveys. This experimental study investigated web-based survey design principles based on an English language background trial at a Thai university with individual interviews and focus groups with the use of think aloud and other research techniques. The findings of two types of web usability tests revealed that the scrolling web-based format was the most suitable for conducting surveys and that such surveys are most likely to attract higher response rates when endorsed by a trusted organization, when instructions are short, simple and specific, when closed and dichotomous questions provide sufficient answer options and when matrix and semantic differential questions are limited. Research also indicates that the font, Ms Sans Serif of size

As data become more pervasive and computing power increases, the opportunity for transformative use of data grows. Collecting data from individuals can be useful to the individuals (by providing them with personalized predictions) and the data collectors (by providing them with information about populations). However, collecting these data is costly: answering survey items, collecting sensed data, and computing values of interest deplete finite resources of time, battery, life, money, etc. Dynamically ordering the items to be collected, based on already known information (such as previously collected items or paradata), can lower the costs of data collection by tailoring the information-acquisition process to the individual. This thesis presents a framework for an iterative dynamic item ordering process that trades off item utility with item cost at data collection time. The exact metrics for utility and cost are application-dependent, and this frame- work can apply to many domains. The two main scenarios we consider are (1) data collection for personalized predictions and (2) data collection in surveys. We illustrate applications of this framework to multiple problems ranging from personalized prediction to questionnaire scoring to government survey collection. We compare data quality and acquisition costs of our method to fixed order approaches and show that our adaptive process obtains results of similar quality at lower cost. For the personalized prediction setting, the goal of data collection is to make a prediction based on information provided by a respondent. Since it is possible to give a reasonable prediction with only a subset of items, we are not concerned with collecting all items. Instead, we want to order the items so that the user provides information that most increases the prediction quality, while not being too costly to provide. One metric for quality is prediction certainty, which reflects how likely the true value is to coincide with the estimated value. Depending whether the prediction problem is continuous or discrete, we use prediction interval width or predicted class probability to measure the certainty of a prediction. We illustrate the results of our dynamic item ordering framework on tasks of predicting energy costs, student stress levels, and device identification in photographs and show that our adaptive process achieves equivalent error rates as a fixed order baseline with cost savings up to 45%. For the survey setting, the goal of data collection is often to gather information from a population, and it is desired to have complete responses from all samples. In this case, we want to maximize survey completion (and the quality of necessary imputations), and so we focus on ordering items to engage the respondent and collect hopefully all the information we seek, or at least the information that most characterizes the respondent so imputed values will be accurate. One item utility metric for this problem is information gain to get a “representative” set of answers from the respondent. Furthermore, paradata collected during the survey process can inform models of user engagement that can influence either the utility metric ( e.g., likelihood therespondent will continue answering questions) or the cost metric (e.g., likelihood the respondent will break off from the survey). We illustrate the benefit of dynamic item ordering for surveys on two nationwide surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: the American Community Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

The ways in which faculty navigate the relationship between their personal identity and the identities of their military connected students, especially concerning their approaches to teaching behaviors (Barnard-Brak, Bagby, Jones, & Sulak, 2011) are influenced by normative values that their institution or department supports (Weidman, 1989) as well as by the values that they themselves hold (Barnard-Brak et al., 2011). Given the fraught history of academia and the military (Summerlot, Green, & Parker, 2009; Downs & Murtazashvili, 2012), such variables are especially important to measure as student-faculty interaction impacts student learning outcomes (Cruce, Wolniak, Seifert, & Pascarella, 2006; Ethington, 2000; Kim, 2010; Kim & Sax, 2009, 2011, 2015). Toward that end, the primary purpose of this study was to create a multi-institutional survey instrument that operationalizes perceptions of teaching behaviors amongst faculty who educate military-connected students (MCS) at civilian colleges and universities. Main objectives included creating and developing items specific to unique teaching behaviors and ensuring validity of this instrument. I used a variety of analyses to create the instrument and to ensure validity of content within the survey. I followed DeVellis’ (2017) model for scale development to create and validate the Military-Connected Student-Faculty Interaction Questionnaire (MCSFI-Q). Eleven field experts participated in cognitive interviews to provide sources of evidence for construct validity (Miller et al., 2014) as well as to uncover and resolve content validity and construct validity issues (Padilla & Benítez, 2014). Following data collection, I conducted content and construct validity analysis to develop a valid and more parsimonious survey instrument. Results from all analyses led to the conclusion that the MCSFI-Q is comprised of conceptually valid items that operationalize teaching behaviors amongst faculty who educate MCS at civilian colleges and universities and that the MCSFI-Q has the potential to collect accurate data. Research next steps include further empirical testing in order for the MCSFI-Q to be useable in measuring teaching norms amongst faculty who educate MCS at civilian colleges and universities.

Background: New genomic tests are being developed to predict an individual’s risk of cancer recurrence by analyzing the expression of multiple genes. However, it is unclear how to report the test results so that they would be most useful to clinicians. A mail-out questionnaire has the potential to help a) describe physicians’ attitudes towards the clinical use of new genomic tests, b) determine what information physicians prefer to have included in the test reports, and c) explore how physicians think the test results would impact their treatment recommendations. Objectives: To design such a questionnaire that could be used in the eventual large-scale survey, and to ensure that the questionnaire a) is comprehensible, b) has face validity, c) appears interesting to, and d) does not place undue response burden on, the target population. Methods: The first draft, based on a specific genomic test for breast cancer recurrence (Oncotype DX) and on two case scenarios, was created. Cognitive interviews with practicing oncologists were conducted to identify problems in the questionnaire. The evaluation involved face-to-face interviews with Kingston oncologists who treat breast cancer, followed by telephone interviews with medical oncologists who treat breast cancer in other places in Ontario. Three-to-four oncologists were included in each round of interviewing after which the questionnaire was revised based on that round’s recommendations. Additional rounds of interviews were conducted until no new problems/issues were raised in one entire round. Results: A medium-length questionnaire was drafted. Four rounds of interviews were conducted with no new problems/issues being raised in the fourth round. Most of the problems identified in the questionnaire related to comprehensibility, followed by logical issues which detected fundamental problems in the questionnaire design. There was no evidence of fatigue or disinterest in participants and they deemed the response burden reasonable. Conclusion: The results suggest that the proposed questionnaire is comprehensible and has face validity. Additionally, it appears to be an interesting questionnaire to, and would not place undue burden on, the target population. Thus, the questionnaire is now ready for the field administration. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2009-05-05 17:23:10.551

Objective The main objective of this thesis was to explore the effects of diet on gastrointestinal symptoms in prostate cancer patients treated with local curative radiotherapy, by evaluating dietary intake prior to treatment (Study I), the psychometric properties of a new questionnaire on patient-reported gastrointestinal side effects (Study II), and the effect of a dietary intervention on acute and long-term gastrointestinal symptoms up to 2 years after radiotherapy completion (Study III-IV). Methods A total of 130 men with localized prostate cancer referred to dose-escalated radiotherapy (ED2 87-102 Gy, α/β=3 Gy) were recruited to a dietary intervention trial. Patients were randomized to receive either standard care plus the dietary intervention of a fibre- and lactose-restricted diet (intervention group, IG; n=64) or standard care alone (standard care group, SCG; n=66). Data on gastrointestinal symptoms and dietary intake were collected pre-treatment and at seven time points during a follow-up period of 26 months. Results Prior to treatment, grain products and milk products were major sources of energy. Unbalanced fatty acid intake and low intake of selenium were observed (Study I). Validation of the Gastrointestinal Side Effects Questionnaire (GISEQ) revealed satisfactory internal consistency, moderate concurrent validity and adequate responsiveness (Study II). There were no significant effects of the intervention on acute or long-term gastrointestinal symptoms, but a tendency towards lower prevalence and severity of bloating and diarrhoea in the IG compared to the SCG during radiotherapy. Gastrointestinal symptoms were predominantly mild, and the frequency of clinically relevant symptoms was merely a few percent. Dietary adherence in the IG was initially good, but tended to decline beyond 12 months post-radiotherapy (Study III-IV). Conclusions A fibre- and lactose-restricted diet was not superior to the habitual diet in reducing gastrointestinal symptoms in patients undergoing high-dose, small-volume radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer. The GISEQ enables assessment of patient-perceived change in symptoms, but further work is needed to strengthen its psychometric qualities. It is suggested that continued research in this area target patient categories referred to irradiation of larger pelvic volumes with a higher risk of gastrointestinal symptoms, and that dietary interventions incorporate established strategies to enhance adherence and effectiveness.

Psychology in South Africa is facing a dire need for valid and reliable mental health instruments for all its citizenry. There presently exists a reliance on instruments of foreign origin. Very often such instruments are used without their psychometric properties having been tested in the local setting. The present study employed a multi-stage process for translating the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) into Zulu. A simplified English version of the GHQ and the translated Zulu version were subsequently administered to a sample of two hundred and fifty seven (257) bilingual high school students. The data from this sample was used to assess the equivalency between the Zulu version and the English version. At the scale level, both versions of the GHQ showed adequate internal consistency and reliability. Item analysis revealed certain differences between the two versions. Possible explanations regarding semantic differences are discussed. Substantial overlap between the factor solutions of the two versions was found. These factor solutions were found to correspond well with those recorded in the literature. The present sample scored much higher on the GHQ than foreign samples do. Suggestions for raising the cutting scores for South African samples are made. On the whole, the Zulu version displayed evidence of reasonable equivalence to the English version. A comprehensive research programme for the GHQ in South Africa is presented. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

The research presented in this dissertation touches on all aspects of survey methodology, from questionnaire design to final estimation. We first approach the questionnaire development stage by proposing a method of developing matrix sampling designs, a design where a subset of questions are administered to a respondent in such a way that the administered questions are predictive of the omitted questions. The proposed methodology compares favorably to previous methods when applied to data collected from a household survey conducted in the Nampula province of Mozambique. We approach the data collection stage by proposing a structured procedure of implementing small-scale surveys in such a way that non-sampling error attributed to data collection is minimized. This proposed methodology requires the inclusion of the statistician in the data editing process during data collection. We implemented the structured procedure during the collection of household survey data in the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. We found indications that the data resulting from the structured procedure is of higher quality than the data with no editing. Finally, we approach the estimation phase of sample surveys by proposing a model-based approach to the estimation of the mean squared error associated with synthetic (indirect) estimates. Previous methodology aggregates estimates for stability, while our proposed methodology allows area-specific estimates. We applied the proposed mean squared error estimation methodology and methods found during literature review to simulated data and estimates from 2010 Census Coverage Measurement (CCM). We found that our proposed mean squared error estimation methodology compares favorably to the previous methods, while allowing for area-specific estimates. / Ph. D.

Efficiency as a   part of usability is a much researched topic. How we design user interfaces   though, is often a matter of convention rather than scientifically validated   patterns. There is however a reason for this; research has shown that users   form clear mental models, or expectations of how an interface should look and   work. Designing with these models in mind should therefore yield efficient   results according to some researchers. This study aimed to test the extent to   which these models affect efficiency through a quantitative quasi-experiment. The experiment   was designed to measure click cost while designing for, or contrary to, the   mental models. This was achieved by adding or subtracting the variables:   placement conventions, saliency, clutter, appearance conventions and help   text to an experimental group and a control group respectively. To ascertain   the impact of these independent variables the click cost in milliseconds has   been recorded in a web questionnaire environment, aggregated and   comparatively analyzed between the groups. The result is a clearer picture of   each variables independent effect on click costs and efficiency. The main   result show a tendency towards higher click costs for badly handled placement   conventions, saliency and appearance conventions, however the differences are   small. In the case of clutter no increase in click cost could be recoded. The   single largest increase in click cost is incurred when help texts are   omitted. / Effektivitet,som en del av användbarhet, är ett väl undersökt område. Hur gränssnittutformas grundar sig oftast i allmänt accepterade normer snarare än påvetenskapliga validerade mönster. Det finns dock en anledning till detta:forskningEffektivitet,som en del av användbarhet, är ett väl undersökt område. Hur gränssnittutformas grundar sig oftast i allmänt accepterade normer snarare än påvetenskapliga validerade mönster. Det finns dock en anledning till detta:forskning visar att användare skapar mentala modeller eller förväntningar på hur ett gränssnitt bör se ut och fungera vid interaktion. Att utforma gränssnitt med dessa modeller i åtanke bör därför, enligt vissa forskare, ge effektiva resultat. Syftet med denna studie var att testa i vilken utsträckning dessa mentala modeller har en inverkan på effektiviteten i gränssnitt genom ett kvantitativt kvasiexperiment. Experimentet utformades för att mäta klickkostnaden i gränssnitt som överensstämmer med, eller strider mot, de mentala modellerna. Detta uppnåddes genom att tillföra eller ta bort variablerna: placeringspraxis, visuellt framträdande, brus, utseendepraxis och hjälptext till en testgrupp och en kontrollgrupp. För att fastställa till vilken grad dessa oberoende variabler påverkar har klickkostnaden i millisekunder uppmätts i ett webenkätsgränssnitt, aggregerats och jämförts mellan grupperna. Resultatet är en tydligare bild av varje variabels grad av påverkan på klickkostnad och effektivitet. Det huvudsakliga resultatet visar på en tendens till högre klickkostnad när placeringspraxis, visuellt framträdande och utseendepraxis frångår normerna. Differenserna är dock små. Vad gäller brus har ingen ökning i klickkostnad kunnat uppmätas. Den enskilt största ökningen i klickkostand sker när hjälptext utelämnas.