Comparison of the differences between web-based and traditional questionnaire surveys in pediatrics: Comparative survey study

Abstract

Background: A web-based survey is a novel method for data capture. Some studies have applied web-based surveys in pediatrics, but few of them have reported data on the differences between web-based and traditional questionnaire surveys. Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the internal consistency of a web-based survey and compare it with a traditional questionnaire survey in pediatrics. Methods: A convenience sample of caregivers was invited to participate in the survey on feeding patterns and their children's eating behaviors if their children were aged 2 to 7 years. A web-based survey and a traditional questionnaire survey were carried out between October 2018 and July 2019. A total of 1085 caregivers were involved in this study, and they were divided into the following three groups based on methods and sources: (1) web-based survey from a web source, (2) web-based survey from a hospital source, and (3) traditional questionnaire survey from a hospital source. The data were then compared and analyzed. Results: A total of 735 caregivers participated in the web-based survey and 350 caregivers participated in the traditional questionnaire survey, and 816 cases were then included in the analyses after data processing. The effective rate of the web-based survey was 70.1% (515/735), and the completeness rate of the traditional questionnaire survey was 86.0% (301/350). There were no significant differences between web-based surveys from different sources. However, demographic characteristics were significantly different between the web-based and traditional questionnaire surveys, mainly in terms of age and caregivers (χ24=16.509, P=.002 and χ24=111.464, P