A Nonresponse Bias Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

Abstract

We conducted a nonresponse bias analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 4, Cycles 1 and 3, collected in 2011 and 2013, respectively, using three analysis methods: comparison of response rates for subgroups, comparison of estimates with weighting adjustments and external benchmarks, and level-of-effort analysis. Areas with higher concentrations of low socioeconomic status, higher concentrations of young households, and higher concentrations of minority and Hispanic populations had lower response rates. Estimates of health information seeking behavior were higher in HINTS compared to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The HINTS estimate of doctors always explaining things in a way that the patient understands was not significantly different from the same estimate from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS); however, the HINTS estimate of health professionals always spending enough time with the patient was significantly lower than the same estimate from MEPS. A level-of-effort analysis found that those who respond later in the survey field period were less likely to have looked for information about health in the past 12 months, but found only small differences between early and late respondents for the majority of estimates examined. There is some evidence that estimates from HINTS could be biased toward finding higher levels of health information seeking.

Disclaimer

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the US government. The findings and conclusion in this report are those of the authors and may not necessarily represent NIH positions or policies.

Funding

HINTS is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by contract from NCI to Westat Inc. HINTS 4 Contract Number: HHSN2611201000064C.

Additional information

Funding

HINTS is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by contract from NCI to Westat Inc. HINTS 4 Contract Number: HHSN2611201000064C.