TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Potential use of telephone surveys for non-communicable disease surveillance in developing countries: evidence from a national household survey in Lebanon
JO  - BMC medical research methodology
A1  - Sibai, Abla M.
A1  - Ghandour, Lilian A.
A1  - Chaaban, Rawan
A1  - Mokdad, Ali H.
SP  - e64
EP  - e64
VL  - 16
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Given the worldwide proliferation of cellphones, this paper examines their potential use for the surveillance of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors in a Middle Eastern country. <br><br>METHODS: Data were derived from a national household survey of 2,656 adults (aged 18 years or older) in Lebanon in 2009. Responses to questions on phone ownership yielded two subsamples, the 'cell phone sample' (n = 1,404) and the 'any phone sample' (n = 2,158). Prevalence estimates of various socio-demographics and 11 key NCD risk factors and comorbidities were compared between each subsample and the overall household sample. <br><br>RESULTS: Adjusting for baseline age and sex distribution, no differences were observed for all NCD indicators when comparing either of subsamples to the overall household sample, except for binge drinking [(OR = 1.55, 95 % CI: 1.33-1.81) and (OR = 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.18-1.85) for 'cell phone subsample' and 'any phone subsample', respectively] and self-rated health (OR = 1.23, 95 % CI: 1.10-1.36) and (OR = 1.16, 95 % CI: 1.02-1.32), respectively). Differences in the odds of hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.06-1.51) was also found in the subsample of 'any phone' carriers. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Multi-mode telephone surveillance techniques provide viable alternative to face-to-face surveys in developing countries. Cell phones may also be useful for personalized public health and medical care interventions in young populations.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1471-2288
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0160-0
ID  - ref1
ER  -