Evaluation of Estimated Survey Duration Equations Using a Health Risk Assessment

Survey duration—the time it takes to complete a survey—affects response and completion rates. Estimated survey duration equations may be used to estimate survey duration, however, there are no studies assessing their use. The objective of this study is to evaluate estimated survey duration equations using a health risk assessment. Six existing estimated survey duration equations were identified. Using health risk assessment data from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, an average participant profile was built to inform the inputs into the estimated survey duration equations. Estimated survey duration of the health risk assessment ranged from 7.64 minutes to 39.6 minutes. Using the same dataset, the estimated survey duration was compared to the actual completion time of the health risk assessment. The average completion time of the health risk assessment was 11.27 minutes. The estimated survey duration equations either under- or overestimated the completion time of the health risk assessment. The equation that is based on word count, number of questions, decisions, and open text boxes is recommended for use to estimate the duration of a health risk assessment although it was an overestimate. Using estimated survey duration equations appear to be a suitable alternative to pilot testing but future studies are needed to further evaluate these equations in other types of surveys.