[ Summer 2010 ]
KN Chronic Conditions Panel: Solutions for Health Care Research
Researchers understand that starting with a sound, probability-based sample frame is important for achieving accurate results. This is especially true in health care research, where some chronically ill persons (older, sicker, not-Internet enabled) are often excluded due to incomplete sample sources. KnowledgePanel® – KN’s probability-based panel that is designed to be representative of the U.S. population – offers its Chronic Conditions Panel, a distinct alternative for conducting high-quality health care research.
According to recent research1, U.S. adults living with chronic disease are significantly less likely than healthy adults to have access to the Internet (62% vs. 81%) – yet this non-Internet cohort goes unrepresented in most surveys fielded via online panels. Knowledge Networks has the only online sample that represents non-Internet users. If a person does not have computer and Internet access, we provide it and thereby create a sample frame representative of the entire population, including the chronically ill. And because KN now uses address-based sampling for recruitment through the mail, the panel includes adults who live in cell phone only households—unobtainable through traditional random-digit dial frames that include only landlines.
This panel helps researchers achieve the precision required to publish results and offers the anonymity of the Internet for exploring sensitive health questions. Government and academic as well as business-savvy researchers can inform public policy and business decisions through statistically representative research among low-prevalence populations such as patients with diabetes, cancer, depression, and many other conditions.
Researchers understand that starting with a sound, probability-based sample frame is an important foundation to any research endeavor. This is especially true in health care research, where some chronically ill persons (older, sicker, not-Internet enabled) are often excluded due to incomplete sample sources. KnowledgePanel® – KN's probability-based panel that is designed to be representative of the U.S. population – offers its Chronic Conditions Panel, a distinct alternative for conducting high-quality health care research.
An affordable and trusted resource for health care researchers
Compared to more expensive sampling methodologies, KN's probability-based online sample provides accuracy at an affordable price. In April 2010, Knowledge Networks performed a CPI cost comparison, that showed that the data collection costs for a survey of diabetics would be up to four times LESS with KN than doing the same study by telephone, using RDD sample.
Principal investigators across the country are already fielding their research using this specialty panel, and a few published projects are cited here:
Hauber, A.B., F.R. Johnson, F.R. Johnson, H. Fillit, A.F. Mohamed, C. Leibman, H.M. Arrighi, M. Grundman, and R.J. Townsend. 2009. Older Americans' risk-benefit preferences for modifying the course of Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 23(1): 23-32.
Rothman E.F., E.M. Edwards, T. Heeren, and R.W. Hingson. 2008. Adverse childhood experiences predict earlier age of drinking onset: Results from a U.S. representative sample of current or former drinkers. Pediatrics 122 (2): e298-e304.
Johanson, J. F., and J. Kralstein. 2007. Chronic constipation: A survey of the patient perspective. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 25(5): 599-608.
Comis, R. L., D. Colaizzi, and J. D. Miller. 2006. Cancer Clinical Trials (CCT) Awareness and attitudes in cancer survivors (Ca surv). Journal of Clinical Oncology 24(18S).
Piette, John D., Michele Heisler, and Todd H. Wagner. 2006. Medication characteristics beyond cost alone influence decisions to underuse pharmacotherapy in response to financial pressures. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 59 (7): 739-756.
O'Hegarty, M., L. Pederson, D. Nelson, P. Mowery, J. Gable, and P. Wortley. 2006. Reactions of young adult smokers to warning labels on cigarette packages. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 30(6): 467-473.
To see a list of pre-identified conditions available from KnowledgePanel®, click here.
1 Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project; N=2,253 adults; survey conducted Nov. 19 to Dec. 20, 2008 by Princeton Survey Research Associates.
