Use of mobile phones to collect data on COVID-19: phone access and participation rates, in Rakai, Uganda

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we deployed a rapid, mobile phone-based survey to assess access and participation rates when using mobile phones to collect data on COVID-19 in Rakai, south-central Uganda. We sampled prior Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) participants based on HIV status us...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global health action 2024-12, Vol.17 (1), p.2419160
Main Authors: Ssekubugu, Robert, Ndyanabo, Anthony, Makumbi, Fredrick, Ekström, Anna Mia, Beres, Laura, Nalwoga Kigozi, Grace, Nakawooya, Hadijja, Ssekasanvu, Joseph, Wawer, Maria J, Nalugoda, Fred, Sewankambo, Nelson, Ssempijja, Victor, Nantume, Betty, Serwadda, David, Kigozi, Godfrey, Gray, Ronald H, Chang, Larry W, Grabowski, M Kate, Nordenstedt, Helena, Kagaayi, Joseph
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Cell Phone - statistics & numerical data
Cohort Studies
covid-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Data Collection - methods
face-to-face interviews
Female
Health Services Accessibility
HIV Infections - epidemiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
mobile phone surveys
Pandemics
participation rate
rakai
sampling variation
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires
Uganda - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Summary:During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we deployed a rapid, mobile phone-based survey to assess access and participation rates when using mobile phones to collect data on COVID-19 in Rakai, south-central Uganda. We sampled prior Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) participants based on HIV status using mobile phone contacts. We administered a 30-minute phone-based interview to consenting participants to assess their knowledge about different aspects of COVID-19 and their access to care. Our analysis compares the mobile phone survey participation rates with historic participation rates in regular RCCS face-to-face interviews. We supplemented phone survey data with demographic, behavioral, and HIV status data from prior face-to-face RCCS surveys. Phone access in Round 19 of the RCCS was found to be 90.2%, with lower access among older people, and people living with HIV. When including only individuals who participated in the previous RCCS survey round, participation in the face-to-face survey (81.9%) was higher than participation in our phone survey (74.8%,  
ISSN:1654-9716
1654-9880
1654-9880
DOI:10.1080/16549716.2024.2419160