Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, this study is part of the MIDAS programme of research which is designed to get better evidence about health and care in local populations. The focus is on trying to understand and reduce differences in musculoskeletal health between different groups of people.
The MIDAS programme of research run by Keele University is designed to deliver better evidence about health and care in local populations. The aim of this research is to provide accurate information to help improve NHS services for people with common health problems. To do this it was first necessary to understand how people living in the North Staffordshire and Stoke-on Trent areas perceive they general health and to understand more about their unique circumstances. This encapsulates both mental and physical health and well as pain and methods of coping with this.
In spring 2023 M·E·L Research were commissioned to undertake face to face interviewing to boost survey participation from those living within 6 GP practice catchments in Stoke-on Trent. These GP catchments were identified by the MIDAS team as those of comparatively high deprivation and low participation in the MIDAS population survey to date. A focus on these catchments also provided an opportunity to boost the number of participants from minority (non-white communities) given the demographic profile of the 6 surgery catchments.
The MIDAS project team specified that this boost activity focused on six GP surgery catchment areas. Each was defined by four Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs). Within each LSOA all Census Output Areas (COAs) were ranked by deprivation using IMD, with three COAs then selected at random as sampling points per LSOA. This means that there were 12 COA sampling points per GP catchment to ensure a good geographical coverage across the catchments. All residential addresses as listed in the Royal Mail’s Postal Address file for each sample point were made available for interviewers to use.
Using the above LSOA definitions, Census 2021 data was interrogated in order to understand the age, and ethnicity profile of each GP catchment. In terms of age, our target population was residents aged 35 and over, i.e. the population with a greater susceptibility to muscular-skeletal issues.
With the MIDAS population survey question set already finalised, this boost interviewing activity needed to collect data in a manner consistent with the existing self-completion survey. The structure of the existing data set was used as a basis with which to programme the survey into M.E.L Research’s chosen data collection platform (Forsta).
Pilot phase
While the existing survey structure only provided limited scope for the survey questions to be changed, a pilot interviewing phase was undertaken to:
No major issues were identified from the pilot, although the feedback from the interviewer team did lead to a strengthening of our briefing materials about how to respond to resistance from residents who stated they were in good health and therefore did not feel the need to take part in survey about healthcare.
Fieldwork
The data collection methodology was face to face interviewing at pre-selected sampling points. Each interviewer was provided with instructions to achieve a broadly even spread of interviews per LSOA (20-30), while following the demographic targets for each GP catchment.
At each address interviewers were instructed to record an outcome for each door knocked.
The requirement for the respondent to aged 35 and above made 5% of contacts non-viable. Overall, the 608 interviews were achieved from 906 interactions.
Prior to providing participation consent, all respondents were asked to read a copy of the participant information leaflet which detailed the study aims, where to find any help and support they may need and what was required of them as a participant. While the survey was led by the interviewer, for some sections of questions respondents were given the option of self-completion, i.e. the tablet computer being handed to them, allowing them to read questions and input their own answers. This option was offered for the potentially most sensitive questions
The data collection process was very successful in meeting its aims and the data is now being used by the team at Keele in their analysis.
“The team have a strong understanding of the complexities of survey research. The survey was successfully delivered in populations where data has been difficult to collect in.” Prof. Ross Wilkie, Keele University
