Design of exposure questionnaires for epidemiological studies

Abstract

The design of questionnaires needs clear aims and objectives, a selection of items that need to be translated into questions, and a logical order. The words used in the questionnaire should be understood by the subjects, they should neither be too difficult nor too simple, and they should be clear, unambiguous, and concise. The format of the questionnaire is as important as the actual questions. Pilot testing is an extremely important part of questionnaire design, and a sufficient amount of time should be allocated to it. The validity and repeatability of the questionnaire should be assessed, where possible.