Table 1.
Interim sample dispositions in the Army STARRS surveysa
| New Soldier Study (Q1 2011–Q4 2012) | All Army Study (Q1–4 2011) | Baseline Pre‐Post Deployment Study | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Components of cooperation rate and response rate calculations | |||
| Attending consent session (ACS)b | 100.0% | 76.5% | 92.7% |
| Consent to complete survey (CCS/ACS) | 97.7 | 96.0 | 98.7 |
| Completion of survey (CS/CCS)c | 91.0 | 98.0 | 99.2 |
| Consent for linkage of ADS data among survey completers (CRL/CS) | 83.5 | 72.4 | 84.0 |
| Successful record linkage (ADS/[CS + CRL])c | 92.3 | 95.6 | 93.8 |
| II. Cooperation rates | |||
| Survey | 88.8 | 94.1 | 97.9 |
| Survey + Consent for record linkage | 74.2 | 68.1 | 82.2 |
| Survey + ADS | 68.5 | 65.1 | 77.2 |
| Survey + blood | 80.1 | — | 82.4 |
| Survey + ADS + blood | 67.3 | — | 67.9 |
| III. Response rates | |||
| Survey | 88.8 | 72.0 | 90.8 |
| Survey + Consent for record linkage | 74.2 | 52.2 | 76.3 |
| Survey + ADS | 68.5 | 49.8 | 71.5 |
| Survey + blood | 80.1 | — | 76.2 |
| Survey + ADS + blood | 67.3 | — | 62.9 |
| IV. Sample sizes | |||
| Target sample | (57,152) | (49,128)e | (10,380) |
| Sample with completed surveys | (50,765) | (35,372)e | (9421) |
| Sample with completed surveys and ADS | (39,132) | (24,266)e | (7425) |
| Sample with completed surveys and blood | (33,088) | — | (7923) |
| Sample with completed surveys, ADS, and bloodd | (27,807) | — | (6531) |
NSS dispositions are reported for calendar years 2011 and 2012. AAS dispositions are reported for replicates in calendar years 2011, as 2012 results are not yet finalized. PPDS dispositions are reported for the full pre‐deployment PPDS sample.
The AAS and PPDS target samples were all soldiers in designated units, allowing us to calculate the proportion of target respondents that attended the consent sessions. The NSS target samples, in comparison, were stipulated to be samples of new soldiers recruited on designated survey administration days in Reception Battalion to equal the numbers we could accommodate in the group survey administration settings established on the training bases. All new soldiers designated to be part of these target samples were designated as such by the Army Points of Contact (POCs) and marched to the Army STARRS group administration setting for the informed consent presentation before being asked to provide voluntary informed consent for the survey. Army STARRS data collection staff worked with Army POCs to guarantee that the target samples were not systematically biased. Based on these NSS recruitment procedures, the table stipulates that 100% of pre‐designated respondents attended the NSS consent sessions.
Failure to complete the survey was largely due to logistical problems with units arriving late or having to leave early from the group survey sessions, although some new soldiers were unable to complete the survey in the allocated 90‐minute data collection period. Record linkage failure occurred when respondents who signed the informed consent form for record linkage either failed to provide linking information or provided information that did not match the information available in Army administrative records.
Collection of blood did not begin until the fourth quarter of 2011 due to delays in IRB approval of this study component.
The final sample sizes for the AAS are projected due to the numbers of respondents in the final replicates, which consist of activated USAR and USANG units, not yet being available at the time this report was prepared.