RIFT VALLEY UNIVERSITY

Department of Public Health

Data Collection Methods

By : Elias.M (BSc in public

health)

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Data Collection
Methods
• In the collection of data we have to be systematic.
• If data are collected haphazardly, it will be difficult
to answer our research questions in a conclusive
way.

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Data collection techniques
1. Observation
2. Face-to-face and self-administered interviews
3. Postal or mail method and telephone interviews
Using available information
4. Focus group discussions (FGD)
5. Secondary data

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Observation
• Observation is a technique that involves
• systematically selecting
• watching and
• recoding behaviors of people or other
phenomena and aspects of the setting in which
they occur, for the purpose of getting (gaining)
specified information.

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• it includes all methods from simple visual
observations to the use of high level machines and
measurements, sophisticated equipment or
facilities, such as radiographic, biochemical X-ray
machines, microscope, clinical examinations, and
microbiological examinations.

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Interviews and self-administered
questionnaire
• The most commonly used research data collection
techniques.
• Therefore, designing good “questioning tools”
forms an important and time consuming phase in
the development of most research proposals.
• The following questions should be considered
before designing our tools:

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• What exactly do we want to know, according to the
objectives and variables we identified earlier?
• Is questioning the right technique to obtain all
answers, or do we need additional techniques, such
as observations or analysis of records?

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• Once the decision has been made Interviews may
be less or more structured.
• Unstructured interview is
• Flexible,
• The content wording and order of the questions vary
from interview to interview.
• The investigators only have idea of what they want to
learn but do not decide in advance exactly what
questions will be asked, or in what order.
• characteristic of qualitative (non-quantitative) research.

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• structured interview is
• the wording and order of the questions being decided in
advance.
• This may take the form of a highly structured interview,
in which the questions are asked orderly, or a
• Self administered questionnaire, in which case the
respondent reads the questions and fill in the answers
• usually preferred in community medicine research, since
they provide more assurance that the data will be
reproducible.

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Use of documentary
sources
• Clinical and other personal records,
• death certificates, published mortality statistics,
• Census publications

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• Official publications of Central Statistical Authority
• Publication of Ministry of Health and Other
Ministries
• News Papers and Journals.
• International Publications like Publications by WHO,
World Bank, UNICEF
• Records of hospitals or any Health Institutions.

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Problems in gathering data
Common problems might include:

• Language barriers • Suspicion

• Lack of adequate time • Bias (spatial, project,
• Expense person, season,
diplomatic,
• Inadequately trained professional)
and experienced staff
• Cultural norms (e.g.
• Invasion of privacy which may preclude
men interviewing
women)

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Choosing a Method of
Data Collection
• The statistical data may be classified under two
categories, depending upon the sources.
1) Primary data
2) Secondary data
• Primary Data: are those data, which are collected
by the investigator himself for the purpose of a
specific inquiry or study.

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• Secondary Data: When an investigator
uses data, which have already been
collected by others.
• Such data are primary data for the
agency that collected them, and become
secondary for someone else who uses
these data for his own purposes.

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Types of Questions
• we can distinguish two major possibilities
1. Open –ended questions
2. closed questions.
Open-ended questions
• permit free responses that should be
recorded in the respondent’s own words.
• The respondent is not given any possible
answers to choose from.

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• E.g. - “Can you describe exactly what the traditional
birth attendant did when your labor started?”
• “What do you think are the reasons for a high drop-
out rate of village health committee members?”

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Closed Questions
• offer a list of possible options or answers from which the
respondents must choose.
• E.g. - “What is your marital status?
1. Single
2. Married/living together
3. Separated/divorced/widowed
“Have your every gone to the local village health worker for
treatment?
1. Yes
2. No
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Requirements of questions
• Must have face validity
• Must be clear and unambiguous
• Must not be offensive
• The questions should be fair
• Sensitive questions

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Steps in Designing a
Questionnaire
Step 1 – CONTENT;
• Take your objectives and variables as your starting
point.
Step 2 - FORMULATING QUESTIONS
• Formulate one or more questions that will provide
the information needed for each variable.
• ''How large an interval would you and your husband
prefer between two successive births?''

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• Avoid leading questions.
• ''Do you agree that the district health team should visit
each health center monthly?'' hardly leaves room for
“no” or for other options.
• Better would be: “Do you thing that district health
teams should visit each health center? If yes, how
often?”

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Step 3: SEQUENCING OF QUESTIONS

• Design your interview schedule or questionnaire to

be “consumer friendly.”
• At the beginning of the interview, keep questions
concerning “background variables” (e.g., age,
religion, education, marital status, or occupation)
• Pose more sensitive questions as late as possible in
the interview (e.g., questions pertaining to income,
sexual behavior, or diseases with stigma attached to
them, etc.

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Step 4: FORMATTING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

When you finalize your questionnaire, be sure that:

• Each questionnaire has a heading and space to
insert the number, date and location of the
interview, and, if required the name of the
informant.
• You may add the name of the interviewer to
facilitate quality control.
• Layout is such that questions belonging together
appear together visually. If the questionnaire is
long, you may use subheadings for groups of
questions.
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• Sufficient space is provided for answers to open-
ended questions.
• Boxes for pre-categorized answers are placed in a
consistent manner half of the page.

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Step 5: TRANSLATION
• If interview will be conducted in one or more local
languages, the questionnaire has to be translated
to standardize the way questions will be asked.
• After having it translated you should have it
retranslated into the original language. You can
then compare the two versions for differences and
make a decision concerning the final phrasing of
difficult concepts.

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