The feasibility of using remote data collection tools in field surveys

Abstract

Background: The objectives of the study were to conduct a field survey to measure the prevalence of chronic diseases by taking history, to assess the feasibility of using remote data collection tools in field surveys and to create the map of the survey area using global positioning system (GPS). Methods: A community survey was carried out in two urban municipal wards by trainees with medical sociology back ground among those aged 35 years and above. There were a total of 563 participants from whom history of chronic diseases were collected and from those aged 60 years and above the presence of frailty was assessed using Canadian Study of Health and Ageing (CSHA) Clinical Frailty Scale. The data was collected using a remote data collection application named KoBo Toolbox, downloaded in their smart phones, which was sent directly to the main computer in the Clinical Epidemiological Unit, using mobile data or Wi-Fi hotspots. The co-ordinates of the households were marked using GPS which was also sent through the KoBo Toolbox to the main computer. At the centre the data was converted into excel sheets and various percentages were calculated. Results: In the survey the proportion affected with diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular accidents were 24%, 20.6%, 10.5% and 3.5% respectively. Among the older population 2.2% were found to be severely frail or worse requiring special care. The field map of the area surveyed was also generated using the co-ordinates marked using the GPS enabled phones. Conclusions: The remote data collection tool enabled us to conduct a survey on chronic diseases, effectively, within a limited period of time, creating a map of the area surveyed.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Adolescent Girls towards Reducing Malnutrition in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, Nigeria: Cross-Sectional Study

“…Each interview lasted for 20 min per respondents, and the ten enumerators interviewed a total of 50 respondents per day. KoBo Toolbox used was an open and free data entry tool developed by Harvard Humanitarian initiative with support from various organizations like Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USAID [ 27 ]. The application can run on any device with android, be it phone or tablet.…”

Food Security and Hygiene Practice among Adolescent Girls in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, Nigeria

“…A questionnaire through respondent's interview using KoBoCollect Toolbox was used for data collection. KoBoCollect Toolbox is a data collection tool developed by Harvard, the application can run on any Android device either phone or tablet where data collected were stored in cloud storage together with the global positioning system (GPS) for the location of each school, and later exported to SPSS for analysis [28]. Information on sociodemographic characteristics was collected, details of sociodemographic characteristics were explained in a research article titled "Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Adolescent Girls towards Reducing Malnutrition in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, Nigeria: Cross-Sectional Study" [26].…”

Rabies in the Republic of Kazakhstan: spatial and temporal characteristics of disease spread over one decade (2013–2022)

“…These findings suggest that the dynamics of rabies transmission in southern Kazakhstan mostly follows an urban cycle, associated with a largest human population density and cases observed only in companion animals. Free-ranging companion dogs, also referred to as “stray dogs,” impose a risk for disease spread in this part of the country, because of the risk for contact with wildlife species ( 27 , 28 ). Identification of the distribution and location of the susceptible canine population, sterilization and castration, evaluation of aggressive dogs, outreach and education of the public, and systematic vaccination are recommended activities in these conditions ( 28 – 31 ).…”

“…Free-ranging companion dogs, also referred to as “stray dogs,” impose a risk for disease spread in this part of the country, because of the risk for contact with wildlife species ( 27 , 28 ). Identification of the distribution and location of the susceptible canine population, sterilization and castration, evaluation of aggressive dogs, outreach and education of the public, and systematic vaccination are recommended activities in these conditions ( 28 – 31 ).…”