Use of Airtime Timing to Improve Interactive Voice Response Surveys in Bangladesh and Uganda

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Varying Airtime Incentive Timing to Improve Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Survey Performance in Bangladesh and Uganda

This study evaluates the effect of two different airtime incentive timings on interactive voice response (IVR) survey cooperation, response, refusal and contact rates, as compared to a control group, in Bangladesh and Uganda.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Noncommunicable Diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pre-survey incentive; Other: Post-survey incentive

Detailed Description

Using random digit dialing sampling techniques, the study randomized RDD participants to one of three airtime incentive timings, some of all of that incentive being contingent on their completing the noncommunicable disease risk factor survey. This mobile phone survey was sent as an interactive voice response (IVR). In IVR surveys, participants use their touch tone key pad to answer pre-recorded questions. (i.e. If you are male, press 1; if you are female, press 2). This study was conducted in both Bangladesh and Uganda.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2287
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Bangladesh
  • Dhaka, Bangladesh
    • Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research
• Uganda
  • Kampala, Uganda
    • Makerere University School of Public Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Access to a mobile phone
• Greater or equal to 18 years of age
• In Bangladesh, conversant in either English or Bangla language. In Uganda, conversant in either Luo, Luganda, Runyakitara, or English languages.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Less than 18 years of age

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; No Airtime Incentive was given for completing the survey
Experimental: Pre-survey incentive; 0.1X incentive before the survey, 1X afterwards	Other: Pre-survey incentive; An incentive of is given in the form of airtime to motivate participants to complete the survey. Participants were sent 0.1X before the were sent a mobile phone survey and an additional 1X after completing the survey.
Experimental: Post-survey incentive; 1X incentive after the survey	Other: Post-survey incentive; An incentive in the form of airtime to motivate participants to complete the survey. Participants were given Bangladeshi Taka or Ugandan Shillings worth of certain airtime for completing the survey.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cooperation Rate #1	As defined by American Association for Public Opinion Research, cooperation rate is defined as I/(I+P+R) where I is complete interviews, P is partial interviews, and R is refusals and breakoffs.	Through study completion, an average of one month
Response Rate #4	As defined by American Association for Public Opinion Research, response rate is defined as (I+P)/(I+P+R+eU) where I is complete interviews, P is partial interviews, R is refusals and breakoffs, and eU is the estimated eligible proportion of unknowns	Through study completion, an average of one month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Contact Rate #2	As defined by American Association for Public Opinion Research, contact rate is defined as (I+P+R)/(I+P+R+eU) where I is complete interviews, P is partial interviews, R is refusals and breakoffs, and eU is the estimated eligible proportion of unknowns	Through study completion, an average of one month
Refusal Rate #2	As defined by American Association for Public Opinion Research, refusal rate is defined as (R)/(I+P+R+eU) where R is refusals and breakoffs, I is complete interviews, P is partial interviews, and eU is the estimated eligible proportion of unknowns	Through study completion, an average of one month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Collaborators: Makerere University; Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Adnan A Hyder, PhD, MBBS, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Principal Investigator: George W. Pariyo, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Gibson DG, Pariyo GW, Wosu AC, Greenleaf AR, Ali J, Ahmed S, Labrique AB, Islam K, Masanja H, Rutebemberwa E, Hyder AA. Evaluation of Mechanisms to Improve Performance of Mobile Phone Surveys in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Research Protocol. JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 May 5;6(5):e81. doi: 10.2196/resprot.7534.
• Gibson DG, Pereira A, Farrenkopf BA, Labrique AB, Pariyo GW, Hyder AA. Mobile Phone Surveys for Collecting Population-Level Estimates in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Literature Review. J Med Internet Res. 2017 May 5;19(5):e139. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7428.
• Gibson DG, Farrenkopf BA, Pereira A, Labrique AB, Pariyo GW. The Development of an Interactive Voice Response Survey for Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factor Estimation: Technical Assessment and Cognitive Testing. J Med Internet Res. 2017 May 5;19(5):e112. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7340.
• Hyder AA, Wosu AC, Gibson DG, Labrique AB, Ali J, Pariyo GW. Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors and Mobile Phones: A Proposed Research Agenda. J Med Internet Res. 2017 May 5;19(5):e133. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7246.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 26, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 12, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 12, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): August 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 10, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 9, 2023
• Last Verified: August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mobile phone surveys; interactive voice response; incentive
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Noncommunicable Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: 00007318-4

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No