RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES
3.2 STUDY DESIGN
3.2.5 Research instrument: Survey questionnaire
The structured self-report content of the electronic web-based research questionnaire contained eight sections in the following order:
(a) Introductory message, instructions regarding the survey and informed consent.
(b) E-mail particulars for participants who wanted to be included in a “Lucky-draw” for a prize that was offered as an incentive in order to encourage participation.
(c) Section A: Demographic and personal information.
(d) Section B: Health status.
(e) Section C: Lifestyle and health-risk factors.
(f) Section D: Sources of health information-provision (non-media).
(g) Section E: Sources of health information-provision (media).
(h) Section F: Health information needs.
(i) Section G: Closure message.
In section D and E, the research participants were asked to indicate from whom and through which source, during the past 12 months, they asked or received the most information on health and lifestyle issues.
The types of questions included in the survey questionnaire were: Likert rating-scales; open-ended single line answers; radio-buttons for a single answer indication; open-ended multi-line answers; contingency questions (certain questions were relevant to some respondents and irrelevant to others and answers were contingent to responses to a specific question in a series); closed-ended questions (respondents were asked to select an answer from among a list provided); matrix questions (comprised of several questions that have the same set of answer categories and to be checked off).
All the information required from the research population was self-reported.
Health and lifestyle choices in whole populations and in sub-groups are typically assessed using structured self-report interviews or surveys (Leslie et al., 2001:118). The research population was asked to complete all questions as truthfully and accurately as possible.
The detailed content of the electronic survey questionnaire is provided in the following section and presented in the eight different sections.
3.2.5.1 Introductory message, informed consent and e-mail particulars:
This first section of the questionnaire included an introduction to the research as well as a request for an e-mail detail if the respondent wanted to be included in the “Lucky-draw” for a prize. This prize was offered as an incentive to improve the response rate. Feedback from previous electronic surveys, as well as responses from the Pilot-study, revealed that students at the SU were not fond of completing/participating in institutional surveys. Figure 3.2 on the following page presents the detailed content of the introductory message of the research questionnaire and figure 3.3, the content of the informed consent section.
Department of Journalism: Stellenbosch University Survey: Health communication
Win a new "iPod‐Touch" (8gb) (worth R2000) by completing this survey within the next 4 days!
INSTRUCTIONS:
‐ The questions in this survey are concerned with aspects of your health and lifestyle.
‐ The purpose of the survey is to establish how information provided through the media contributed to your knowledge regarding your health and lifestyle.
‐ Answer all questions as honestly and completely as possible.
‐ Provide one answer per question unless otherwise indicated at the particular question.
Thank you for your time to complete this survey.
We appreciate your participation!
Figure 3.2: Introductory message to research questionnaire.
Agreement and informed consent
I hereby agree that all information in this survey may be used for research purposes.
Yes No
Email particulars: Voluntary and enabled participants to win a participatory incentive prize.
‐ Email address (if you want to participate in the lucky draw to win a new iPod‐
touch!)
3.2.5.2 Section A: Demographic information:
This section of the research questionnaire requested some personal information in order to establish a profile of the targeted research cohort and included information on: age; SU academic course enrolment; home town and area of residence; school of matriculation; home language; gender; ethnicity; current residence while enrolled as a SU student; body height (meters) and body weight (kilograms) (self-reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI kg/m² by a standard formula). Figure 3.4 below, and figure 3.5 on the following page, provides the detail of the demographic content of the electronic questionnaire.
SECTION A: Demographic Information
Please provide some personal information in the following questions for statistical purposes.
‐ How old are you (age in years)?
‐ What academic course at the Stellenbosch University (SU) have you enrolled for?
‐ Where do you live? Home town or city?
‐ In what region/province is your home town/city?
‐ At what school did you matriculate?
(provide name of the school)
‐ What is your home language?
Afrikaans English Zulu Sotho Xhosa German French
If "other" please specify:
Figure 3.4: Research questionnaire: Demographic information.
‐ Gender?
Male Female
‐ Ethnicity: Race?
(for statistical purposes only)
‐ Current residence? Parents
SU student house Private student house Private student flat Other, please specify:
‐ How tall are you? (body length in meters?)
(please report as accurately as possible only providing numbers, e.g. 1.76) (do not add m after the numbers)
‐ What is your current body weight? (how much do you weigh in kilograms?)
(please report as accurately as possible only providing numbers, e.g. 62) (do not add kg after the numbers)
Figure 3.5: Research questionnaire: Demographic information (continued).
3.2.5.3 Section B: Health status:
A total of 10 questions assessed the health status of the research cohort. These included: a Likert-scale indication of health status; indication of current health regarding any medical condition experienced; medication used for the indicated medical condition; medication specification for the condition; an indication of anxiety or stress experienced; indication of reason for stress or anxiety; treatment for the anxiety or stress experienced; type of medication or treatment for stress and anxiety; an indication of assistance received from the SU for the treatment of
The detail of this section of the research questionnaire is provided in figures 3.6 and 3.7 on the following page.
SECTION B: Health status
‐ Current Health Status
How would you describe your health status at the moment? Excellent Reasonable Good
Very Good Bad Very Bad
‐ Do you suffer from any of the following health conditions?
Indicate where applicable:
Asthma Cardiac problems Metabolic (digestive problems) Back (lower back) problems High cholesterol Recreational drug problems Diabetes High blood pressure Sinus problems
Over weight Low blood pressure STD's (sexual transmitted disease)
Under weight Musculo‐skeletal problems HIV/AIDS?
Stress/anxiety Hearing (ear) problems None
Vision (eye) problems Neurological (nervous system) problems Other, please specify:
‐ Do you use any medication? Yes No
‐ For what health condition(s) do you use medication?
Name condition:
‐ What medication do you use for the above mentioned health conditions?
Name of type of medication:
‐ Do you currently experience any anxiety or stress? Yes No
Figure 3.6: Research questionnaire: Health status of the research cohort.
‐ In your opinion, what causes this anxiety and stress?
Indicate where applicable:
Academic pressure Financial pressure
Time management Accommodation problems Health problems Family problems
Personal problems Transport problems Adaptation to SU life ‐ problems
Other, please specify:
‐ Do you receive any treatment or medication for the anxiety and stress? Yes No
‐ What type of treatment/medication do you receive/use to manage this anxiety and stress?
Indicate where applicable:
Psychotherapy Medication
Private consultation with a healthcare professional Other, please specify:
‐ Do you receive treatment or assistance from the SU for your anxiety and/or stress problems?
Yes No
‐ At what centre or where on the SU campus do you receive this treatment?
Name place or centre:
Figure 3.7: Research questionnaire: Health status of research cohort (continued).
3.2.5.3 Section C: Lifestyle factors:
Three lifestyle factors of the study cohort were assessed. These were: exercise regularity; recreational behaviour; and meal consumption. The purpose of the inclusion of these three lifestyle indicators was to provide information as
co-
variates of a balanced lifestyle and health orientation (detailed information for these three variables were not indulged in as the information provided here was adequate for a lifestyle indication). See figure 3.8 below for the detail on the content for these questions.
SECTION C: Lifestyle and health‐risk factors
Please provide us with brief information on your lifestyle in the following questions.
‐ Exercise: Do you exercise regularly?
(indicate whether you exercise at least 3x per week, for 30min or longer, uninterrupted) Yes No
‐ Recreation: Do you spend time to relax regularly?
(indicate whether you relax for at least 60min per day) Yes No
‐ Eating habits: Do you at least eat three nutritious meals a day? Yes No
Figure 3.8: Research questionnaire: Lifestyle indicators of the research cohort.
3.2.5.4 Section C (continued): Health-risk factors:
This section also included three health-risk factors that were assessed. These questions were: smoking habit; alcohol use; and recreational drug use. Health-risk factors are important to establish to provide a background for a lifestyle profile. Figure 3.9 below and figure 3.10 on the following page, provides the detailed content of the questionnaire.
‐ Tobacco use: Do you currently smoke cigarettes? Yes No
‐ How many cigarettes do you smoke a day?
(indicate number of cigarettes per day)
Figure 3.9: Research questionnaire: Health-risk factors of the research cohort.
‐ Alcohol use: Do you currently use alcoholic beverages? Yes No
‐ How often do you use/drink alcohol?
Every day Once a week Twice a week Other, please specify:
‐ Drug use: Do you currently use any recreational drugs? Yes No
‐ How often do you use recreational drugs? Once a day
Once a week Twice a week
Other, please specify:
Figure 3.10: Research questionnaire: Health-risk factors of the research cohort (continued).
3.2.5.5 Section D: Sources of health information-provision (non-media):
The focus for this research was in establishing the sources of health information-provision among young adults on a university campus. Although the primary research aim was to establish the contribution of media as health information source, it was also deemed important to find out what other sources these young adults used for health information.
This first section on health information sources (non-media) included questions on the following variables (the research participants were asked to indicate use of these information sources during the past year): an indication of health information-seeking during the last year; the primary reason why health information was needed; the primary type/category of health information most often looked for; an indication of a health behaviour change after this health information-seeking act; health information most often provided/found within
the home/family environment; the school as health information source;
information provided/found among friends or peers; health information provided by or found within a professional healthcare environment; and the use of health information provided within the SU environment. Figure 3.11 below and figures 3.12 and 3.13 on the following pages, provide the detailed content of this section of the questionnaire.
SECTION D: Sources of health information‐provision (non‐media).
Please provide us briefly with information on the sources/ways through which you have obtained information on health and lifestyle issues during the past year.
‐ Have you asked/looked for health information during the last year? Yes No
‐ What was the primary reason why you asked/looked for health information during the past year?
Manage health Info on disease prevention Diagnose health problem For general health knowledge Identify symptoms of health condition For wellness info
For health and wellness info Other, please specify:
‐ What was the primary type of health information that you asked about or looked for during the past year?
General health info Lifestyle management Fitness Specific health condition info Nutrition Diet/weight loss
Recreation Stress management Other, please specify:
Figure 3.11: Research questionnaire: Health information sources (non-media).
‐ After seeking health information and finding this information, did your health behaviour change?
Yes No
‐ Health information source: Home/family
From whom did you most often learn something about health during the past year?
Mother Father Guardian
Grandmother Grandfather Aunt Brother Sister Uncle Other, please specify:
‐ Health information source: School
From whom or where did you most often receive information on health during the last year at school?
In class? Specific teacher?
Specific subject? Guest speaker at school?
Other, please specify:
‐ Health information source: Friends/Peers
From which friend did you most often obtain health information during the past year?
Personal friend: Female Personal friend: Male Friend at work
Other, please specify:
‐ Health information source: Healthcare professional
Who did you most often consult to provide you with information on health? General practitioner: Private docter Biokineticist
Doctor: Specialist Nurse Physiotherapist
Other, please specify:
Figure 3.12: Research questionnaire: Health information sources (non-media) (continued).
‐ Health information source: Stellenbosch University
From whom or where did you most often obtain information on health at the SU during the past year?
In class Specific lecturer Student Health Services Gymnasium: Instructor Sport coach SU Library
SU Intranet health information Other, please specify:
Figure 3.13: Research questionnaire: Health information sources (non-media) (continued).
3.2.5.6 Section E: Sources of health information-provision (media):
Recent research indicates that “health” is one of the main topics covered in the media today (Carducci et al., 2011:475). It was therefore important to establish what media young adults used or accessed for health information-provision. This was the primary question to be answered by this research as well as the reporting of the frequency statistics of these variables for students on a South African university campus. This section of the research questionnaire included the following questions (research participants were asked to indicate the use of a media source during the past year): a general indication of media type/source used to obtain health information; a multi-structured question to establish more specific information on the printed media (magazines) as health information source; an indication of using the health information provided in the Medical Aid Fund magazine of students’ parents; provision of the name of the particular Medical Aid Fund used by students’ parents; a multi-structured question to establish the use of health information provided in the printed media (newspapers); a multi-structured question to establish the use of health information provided by the broadcasting media (radio); a multi-structured question to establish the use of health information provided in the broadcasting media (television); a multi-structured question to establish the use of the Internet as source of health information provision; a multi structured question to establish
the use of cell phones as device to access the Internet for health information; an indication of any other media sources used for obtaining health information; and an indication of any other non-media sources used for health information, not indicated in any of the previous questions. See figure 3.14 below, and figures 3.15 and 3.16 on the following pages, for the detailed content of this section of the electronic questionnaire.
Every day Yes Excellent
Very good
Every week No Poor
Every day Yes Excellent
Very good
Every week No Poor
Every day Yes Yes Excellent
Very good
Every day Yes Excellent
Very good
Figure 3.15: Research questionnaire: Health information sources (media) (continued).
‐ Health information source ‐ Internet:
Every day Yes Yes Excellent
Very good
Every day Yes Yes Excellent
Very good
Figure 3.16: Research questionnaire: Health information sources (media) (continued).
3.2.5.7 Section F: Health information needs:
Literature provides evidence that there are variations in health information needs among population groups (Stock et al., 2003:542). Little is known about how the use of different information sources affects young adults’ health and these students may need assistance in understanding the various health media, building an awareness of their own skill sets and media literacy competencies in order to improve their ability to make evidence-based decisions (Ivanitskaya et al., 2006:13). In this section of the questionnaire the health information needs of the research cohort were requested as well as the sources which would be most accessible to them through which to receive regular and credible health information. Figures 3.17 below, and 3.18 on the following page, provide the electronic version of this section of the questionnaire.
SECTION F: Health information needs
Please provide us with information on your health information needs.
‐ What health topic/condition do you most often need information on?
‐ What health topic/condition do you 2nd most seek information on?
‐ Please indicate how you would prefer to receive information on health and lifestyle issues on the Stellenbosch University campus.
Preference of source?
SU Magazine: Matieland SU Newspaper: Die Matie Specific SU health brochure Posters on campus Specific SU health web page SU Campus radio SU Intranet health information Departmental Other, please specify:
Figure 3.17: Research questionnaire: Health information needs.
‐ Which media source/format is most accessible to you?
(through which to regularly receive information on health and lifestyle issues on the SU campus)
Internet? SU Intranet?
Email? SMS to cell phone?
Other, please specify:
‐ Do you need assistance to improve/manage your health and lifestyle issues?
Yes No
‐ What health communication needs do you have? (on the SU campus)
‐ Provide at least one health communication need that you have, that would help you with finding credible information on health, or assist you with managing your health.
Figure 3.18: Research questionnaire: Health information needs (continued).
3.2.5.2 Section G: Closing statement
The research questionnaire was concluded by a statement thanking the research cohort for their cooperation in completing the survey as seen in figure 3.19.
Thank you for your cooperation with this survey!
Good luck with the lucky draw to win that new iPod‐touch!
3.3 DATA CAPTURING AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The empirical material for this study consists of data procured via an electronic survey.
The electronic data-sets to the questionnaire were automatically captured on electronic spreadsheets (MS Excelᵀᴹ) especially designed for the survey format (Checkbox ® Version 4.7) as developed by the SU. This procedure was managed with the assistance of the Information Technology Centre at the SU as well as the Centre for Statistical Analysis at the SU. The content of the survey was self-reported, an acceptable method of data capturing as the research population were all literate (Babbie & Mouton, 2009:
258).
The data analysis was guided by the primary and secondary research questions of the study. Frequencies and percentages are reported for all the major study variables.
The data analysis for the research had the following aims:
to determine the average age of the subjects
to determine the demographics of the target population
to determine selected morphological information of the target population
to determine the health status of the target population
to determine whether health status influenced health seeking needs
to determine the lifestyle indicators; exercise habit, recreation and eating habits
to determine health risk-behaviour among this group
to determine the primary source of health information: media
to determine the primary source of health information: non-media
to determine the primary health topic used in the health information-seeking process
to determine the primary reason for health information-seeking
to establish behaviour change as result of the health information-seeking process
to determine differences in gender for use of certain media technologies
to determine differences in health topics for health information by gender
to establish health communication needs for the target population
to establish health management needs for the target population
to determine possible relationships between selected research variables