Telephone surveys

Sicherer, S.H., Munoz-Furlong, A. and Sampson, H.A., Prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the United States determined by means of a random digit dial telephone survey A 5-year follow-up study. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 112, 1203, 2003. 

On Figure 2 I have shown the number of these new chemicals which have actually been commercialized by the manufacturer or importer as of March 1st of this year. About 30% of the total submissions were commercialized through the end of the 3rd quarter of last year. This seems like a very slow rate of commercialization but the reasons for some companies not following through the development phase with a commercialization phase are common-place in the industry. We made a spot telephone survey of a number of these manufacturers and received the following answers to our questions (Tablell). The chemical industry would say that these reasons are par for the course and undoubtedly could add a few more. 

A telephone survey was carried out in southern Queensland, and seven of the three hundred and eighty-three individuals spoken to reported that they had experienced ciguatera recently (9). 

Sicherer et ah (2004) conducted a nationwide random telephone survey of the prevalence of seafood allergies in the United States and a standardized questioimaire. Responses were categorized on the basis of convincing symptoms and self-reported physician confirmation of the allergy. The survey involved 14,948 individuals with 67 reporting reactions to molluscan shellfish including scallops, clams, oysters, and mussels. The self-reported prevalence in this study population was 0.4%. 

Alternative remedies are consumed extensively and their use is increasing. For example, a telephone survey of over 2000 persons in the United States in 1997 found that there had been a 45% increase in use from 1990 (Eisenberg et ah, 1993, 1998). Furthermore, fewer than 40% of the participants had discussed the use of alternative therapy with their physician and al-... 

Identified by a telephone survey of home-owners, were verified by comparing dispersion model and CMB vegetative burning estimates. 

About 14% of the U.S. population uses herbal drugs or other dietary supplements, according to a telephone survey conducted by the Slone Epidemiology Unit of Boston University. The results of this survey, which asked participants if they had taken an herbal remedy during the past week, were published in a 2002 issue of JAMA. 

Telephone surveys have the same advantages of face-to-face interviews but tend to be less expensive. Researchers can survey individuals from a large geographic area, and data can be linked to a record management system that can track respondents. Unfortunately, researchers cannot reach respondents who do... 

Steinke, M., Fiocchi, A., and Kirchlechner, V. 2007. Perceived food allergy in children in 10 European Nations. A randomised telephone survey. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 143(4) 290-295. 

A telephone survey of 50 fathers who reported having had three to five children was made to determine whether reporting had been accurate or whether men with large families underreported family size. 

One study of knowledge among the general public indicated that 2.3% of a randomly selected sample of people in the USA have been told by a physician that they had a TIA, based on self-report in a telephone survey (Johnston et al. 2003). However an additional 3.2% of respondents recalled symptoms consistent with TIA but had not sought medical attention at all and consequently had not been diagnosed by a doctor. Of those with diagnosed TIA, only 64% had seen a doctor within 24-hours of the event Only 8.2% correctly related the definition of TIA, and 8.6% were able to identify a typical symptom. 

The pie chart below represents data collected from a recent telephone survey. 

In a telephone survey of 109 parents or guardians of children under 5 years who had been involved in actual or suspected ingestion of eucalyptus oil, 90 incidents had involved vaporizer solutions, 15 eucalyptus oil formulations, and the remainder other medicinal products containing eucalyptus oil (6). 

How common is SADS A local telephone survey in the US found that 92% of the survey subjects noticed seasonal changes of mood and behavior to varying degrees. For 27% of the sample seasonal changes were a problem and 4.3% to 10% of subjects, depending on the case-finding definition, rated a degree of seasonal impairment equivalent to that of patients with seasonal affective disorder. Rosenthal remarked It is apparent that... 

NadderTS, Silberg JL, Eaves LJ, et al. Genetic effects on ADHD symptomol-ogy in 7- to 13-year-old twins Results from a telephone survey. BehavGenet 1998 28(2) 83-100. 

Another study, a random digit dial telephone survey of nearly 1,000 adults in Manhattan, revealed an increased use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana 5-8 weeks after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks. Participants with increased smoking or marijuana use were more likely to experience PTSD symptoms and depression, and those with increased alcohol use were more likely to suffer from depression only (16). 

MacKinnon, N.J. Lipowski, E.E. Opinions on provider profiling Telephone survey of stakeholders. Am. J. Health-Syst. Pharm. 2000, 57, 1585-1591. 

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