Talk about unexpected consequences, the growth of cell phones is beginning to really hinder health research according to a new article in the Washington Post. Cell phones it seems not only make it difficult to get hold of people for phone interviews on various health issues like obesity and autism, but the odd thing is that people answer questions significantly differently on their cell phone than they do their land line. For example, when a group of people with the same age, race and education are called on a conventional phone, 25 percent say they smoke, but on a cellphone 31 percent say they do. On a land line, 38 percent say they have been tested for HIV, while on a cellphone 54 percent say they have. Weird huh?
Cell phone users also don’t like to take surveys unless they are going to be reimbursed for the minutes they are using. Also, because of the barrage of calls we all get every day, the “cooperation rate” for surveys is rapidly declining.
Comments