List Experiment to Measure Food and Water Insecurity

Mass General Brigham

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Water Deprivation; Food Deprivation

Treatments: Other: Survey questionnaire

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04832243

2013P000395_2

Details and patient eligibility

About

List experiment to measure food and water insecurity

Full description

Food and water insecurity are complex, multi-domain constructs. Given their known association with important health and mental health outcomes, accurate assessment of food and water insecurity in resource-limited settings is paramount. The purpose of this study is to use a list experiment methodology to assess the extent to which there is bias in conventional survey-based means of direct elicitation of food and water insecurity. The list experiment provides an indirect means to measure a particular construct of interest. It is hypothesized that social desirability may cause upward bias in conventional survey-based means of direct elicitation of food and water insecurity.

Enrollment: 1,553 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All adults who consider Nyakabare their primary place of residence and who are capable of providing consent

Exclusion criteria

• Minors younger than 18 years of age, with the exception of emancipated minors
• Persons who do not consider Nyakabare Parish their primary place of residence, e.g., persons who happen to be visiting Nyakabare at the time of the survey or who own a home in Nyakabare but spend most of their time outside the parish
• Persons with psychosis, neurological damage, acute intoxication, or other cognitive impairment (all of which are determined informally in the field by non-clinical research staff in consultation with a supervisor)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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1,553 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental: V1: List No. 1

Experimental group

Description:

As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. The first version of the questionnaire includes 6 sets of 3 true-false statements that are innocuous and contextually applicable (e.g., weather, cultural norms) such that there is a low likelihood that the participant will answer untruthfully. The statements on food and water insecurity that are included in the experimental version are omitted.

Treatment:

Other: Survey questionnaire

Experimental: V2: List No. 2

Experimental group

Description:

As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific wording. The second version of the questionnaire includes 6 sets of 4 true-false statements that are innocuous and contextually applicable (e.g., weather, cultural norms) such that there is a low likelihood that the participant will answer untruthfully for 3 of the true-false statements. One statement in each set relates to food and water insecurity and is designed to determine the extent to which social desirability bias may influence responses to food and water insecurity questions.

Treatment:

Other: Survey questionnaire