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What is the Price of Perfection? The Hidden Costs of Using Detailed Assessment Instruments to Measure Alcohol Consumption
John A. Cunningham, Donna Ansara, T. Cameron Wild, Tony Toneatto, Anja Koski-Jännes
Objective: This article describes results from a study investigating the effects of using long assessment instruments on attrition rates in mailed-out surveys. Method: Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of two versions of a mailed-out survey; one version incorporated a detailed assessment of drinking using the Timeline Followback method (TLFB; n = 46) and the other employed a brief graduated frequency measure of alcohol consumption (n = 49). Results: 29% fewer respondents who received the TLFB returned any of their survey materials as compared to those respondents who received just the graduated frequency measure (22% vs 51%). Conclusions: In some situations, e.g., mailed-out surveys, employing detailed survey instruments may not be justified as the increased respondent burden may result in increased attrition rates. (J. Stud. Alcohol 60: 756-758, 1999)
