RT Journal Article
T1 The questionnaire design process in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU).
A1 Gonzalez-Alzaga, Beatriz
A1 Hernandez, Antonio F
A1 Kim Pack, L
A1 Iavicoli, Ivo
A1 Tolonen, Hanna
A1 Santonen, Tiina
A1 Vinceti, Marco
A1 Filippini, Tommaso
A1 Moshammer, Hanns
A1 Probst-Hensch, Nicole
A1 Kolossa-Gehring, Marike
A1 Lacasaña, Marina
K1 Data collection
K1 Environmental exposures
K1 Exposure characterization
K1 HBM4EU
K1 Human biomonitoring
K1 Questionnaire development
K1 Standardised procedures
K1 Study design
AB Designing questionnaires is a key point of epidemiological studies assessing human exposure to chemicals. The lack of validated questionnaires can lead to the use of previously developed and sub-optimally adapted questionnaires, which may result in information biases that affect the study's validity. On this ground, a multidisciplinary group of researchers developed a series of tools to support data collection within the HBM4EU initiative. The objective of this paper is to share the process of developing HBM4EU questionnaires, as well as to provide researchers with harmonized procedures that could help them to design future questionnaires to assess environmental exposures. In the frame of the work package on survey design and fieldwork of the HBM4EU, researchers carried out procedures necessary for the development of quality questionnaires and related data collection tools. These procedures consisted of a systematic search to identify questionnaires used in previous human biomonitoring (HBM) studies, as well as the development of a checklist and evaluation sheet to assess the questionnaires identified. The results of these evaluations were taken into consideration for the development of the final questionnaires. The main points covered by each of the sections included in HBM4EU questionnaires are described and discussed in detail. Additional tools developed for data collection in the HBM4EU (e.g. non-responder questionnaire, satisfaction questionnaire, matrix-specific questionnaire) are also addressed. Special attention is paid to the limitations faced and hurdles overcome during the process of questionnaire development. Designing questionnaires for use in HBM studies requires substantial effort by a multidisciplinary team to guarantee that the quality of the information collected meets the study's objectives. The process of questionnaire development described herein will contribute to improve the harmonization of HBM studies within the social and environmental context of the EU countries.
PB Elsevier Ltd
YR 2021
FD 2021-12-26
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/22202
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/22202
LA en
NO González-Alzaga B, Hernández AF, Kim Pack L, Iavicoli I, Tolonen H, Santonen T, et al. The questionnaire design process in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU). Environ Int. 2022 Feb;160:107071.
NO This document was created for the HBM4EU project. HBM4EU has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032. The Swiss participation in this European Program is funded by the Swiss State Secretary for Education Research and Innovation (SERI).
DS RISalud
RD Apr 8, 2025