Understanding retention in longitudinal surveys conducted by mobile phone in lower-resource contexts: A case study from Kenya
- 1Department of Public Health Policy and Management, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, United States of America
- 2Department of Biostatistics, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, United States of America
- 3Innovations for Poverty Action, Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract
Mobile phone-based surveys are increasingly used for data collection in global contexts – and although the strengths and limitations of this methodology in high-income countries are well-documented, less is known about using this approach (particularly for longitudinal data collection) in low- and middle-income countries, where mobile phone ownership has expanded rapidly. In this paper, we leverage data from a parent study about cervical cancer prevention to understand the features associated with retention and loss to follow-up in repeated random-digit dialed mobile phone-based surveys over time in Kenya. From a cohort of 1405 people surveyed in 2022, 1167 were found again in 2024 (83.1%) and 1106 completed the 2024 survey (78.7%). Survey re-completion was significantly associated with older age (versus 17−32 year olds: OR 1.63 [95% CI 1.21–2.20] for 33−38 year olds, OR 1.65 [95% CI 1.22–2.22] for 39−45 year olds, and OR 2.62 [95% CI 1.84–3.72] for ≥46 year olds), male gender (OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.14–1.83]), and household income. Only age was significantly associated with our secondary outcome of being retained in the sample for follow-up (regardless of survey re-completion). This study’s high follow-up rate was not substantially different across these aforementioned groups, suggesting that mobile phone-based data collection is a promising approach, even for longitudinal surveys, in diverse global settings. We encourage more research about, and using, this methodology so researchers can better understand, and improve, follow-up and its determinants.
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BibTeX
@article{moucheraud2026understanding,
title = {{Understanding retention in longitudinal surveys conducted by mobile phone in lower-resource contexts: A case study from Kenya}},
author = {Corrina Moucheraud and Boyu Fan and Guanghao Li and Eric Ochieng and George Ganda and Ginger Golub and Alex Dahlen},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0354780},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0354780},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Understanding retention in longitudinal surveys conducted by mobile phone in lower-resource contexts: A case study from Kenya
AU - Corrina Moucheraud
AU - Boyu Fan
AU - Guanghao Li
AU - Eric Ochieng
AU - George Ganda
AU - Ginger Golub
AU - Alex Dahlen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0354780
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0354780
AB - Mobile phone-based surveys are increasingly used for data collection in global contexts – and although the strengths and limitations of this methodology in high-income countries are well-documented, less is known about using this approach (particularly for longitudinal data collection) in low- and middle-income countries, where mobile phone ownership has expanded rapidly. In this paper, we leverage data from a parent study about cervical cancer prevention to understand the features associated with retention and loss to follow-up in repeated random-digit dialed mobile phone-based surveys over time in Kenya. From a cohort of 1405 people surveyed in 2022, 1167 were found again in 2024 (83.1%) and 1106 completed the 2024 survey (78.7%). Survey re-completion was significantly associated with older age (versus 17−32 year olds: OR 1.63 [95% CI 1.21–2.20] for 33−38 year olds, OR 1.65 [95% CI 1.22–2.22] for 39−45 year olds, and OR 2.62 [95% CI 1.84–3.72] for ≥46 year olds), male gender (OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.14–1.83]), and household income. Only age was significantly associated with our secondary outcome of being retained in the sample for follow-up (regardless of survey re-completion). This study’s high follow-up rate was not substantially different across these aforementioned groups, suggesting that mobile phone-based data collection is a promising approach, even for longitudinal surveys, in diverse global settings. We encourage more research about, and using, this methodology so researchers can better understand, and improve, follow-up and its determinants.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -