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Boston University

Smartphone App-Based Survey Deployment Patterns Improve Longitudinal Response Rate

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from Boston University have discovered that a more frequent smartphone-administered survey deployment strategy with smaller survey batches can significantly improve participant response rates in longitudinal studies. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, found that administering half of the surveys every two weeks, as compared to all surveys every four weeks, was associated with higher maintained longitudinal survey response rates.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study conducted a randomized controlled trial (NCT04752657) in the electronic Framingham Heart Study cohorts between June 2021 and December 2023, involving 492 participants with a mean age of 74 years (SD 6.3 y) and 58% women.
  • The experimental group had higher response rates over time compared to the control group, with a significant interaction between deployment pattern and time (P=.003).
  • The experimental group had higher response rates in subsequent periods, ranging from 70% to 58% compared to the control group's 67% to 50%.
  • Stratified analyses revealed that among younger participants ( 75 y), the experimental group showed 12% higher survey response rates compared to the control group in the final period.
  • The effect of the deployment pattern was similar for men and women, with no significant differences in the deployment pattern effect over time by age group (P=.95) or sex (P=.65).
  • The research concluded that the strategy may help mitigate survey fatigue and improve data quality in digital health studies.

Statistics:

  • 492 participants participated in the study, with a mean age of 74 years (SD 6.3 y) and 58% women.
  • The experimental group had a 12% higher survey response rate compared to the control group in the final period among younger participants ( 75 y).
  • The experimental group showed higher response rates in subsequent periods, from 70% to 58%, compared to the control group's 67% to 50%.
  • The proportion of participants not returning any surveys increased from 3% to 38% in the control group compared to 1% to 28% in the experimental group across the four time periods.

Sources:

  • Smartphone App-Based Survey Deployment Patterns and Longitudinal Response Rate: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2025;27.
  • Jmir Publications, Inc (Contact: Jmir Publications, Inc, 130 Queens Quay East, Unit 1100, Toronto, On M5A 0P6, Canada)

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