| Course | PHE 327 Research and Assessment in Public Health |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | undergraduate discussion post on sampling and nonresponse |
| Length | About 400 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Public Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PHE 327 Module 4
Module Four Discussion
Surveying the People Who Don't Answer
Our survey has a built-in paradox. We want to know how many older adults spend the winter isolated, but the most isolated people are the least likely to open, complete and mail back a survey from a stranger. If we are not careful, our results will describe the people who are already connected.
The core design is a random sample of about 1,200 addresses with at least one resident 65 or older, drawn from a combined list of county property records and voter rolls. Random selection gives everyone on the list a known chance of being chosen. But the list itself leaves people out, such as renters who don't vote, so we will note that gap.
Dillman et al. (2014) describe how multiple contacts raise response to mailed surveys: a notice letter, the survey with a personalized letter, a reminder card and a replacement survey for those who haven't answered. We will use all four and add a phone number so people who can't manage a paper form can answer by phone with a volunteer from the senior center. A small thank-you, a free pass for the meal program, will go with the survey.
Even so, the most isolated will respond less. So we will add a second route. Meal delivery drivers and two rural mail carriers will offer a short version of the survey to older adults they see who live alone, recording answers only with permission. This list sample isn't random, so its results won't be combined with the main estimate, but it will show whether the people the mailing misses look different. Israel et al. (1998) emphasize that partnerships with trusted community members improve research access and relevance, and drivers and carriers are among the most trusted people in our county.
Finally, we will compare respondents with census figures for age, sex and living alone and weight the results so groups that answered less count proportionally more. Weighting helps but can't fix everything; it can't add the views of people who never respond. That matters here more than in most surveys, because Holt-Lunstad et al. (2015) linked isolation and loneliness to higher mortality, so the people we fail to hear from may be those at greatest risk.
For classmates: who in your community is least likely to answer your survey, and what second route could reach them?
References
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (4th ed.). Wiley.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227-237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352
Israel, B. A., Schulz, A. J., Parker, E. A., & Becker, A. B. (1998). Review of community-based research: Assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 19, 173-202. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.173
What the PHE 327 Module 4 instructions ask for
The fourth PHE 327 module asks you to discuss sampling and nonresponse for your assessment. A page with a couple of APA 7 sources usually suffices, and replies follow. Describe the population and how you will draw a sample, including the list or frame and who it leaves out. Explain who is least likely to respond and why that matters for your question. Propose specific methods to raise response, drawing on survey methods research, and a route to reach groups the main sample will miss. Explain how you will check and adjust for who responded, such as comparing with census figures and weighting, and what such adjustment cannot fix. End by asking peers which group they expect to miss and how they would reach it.
How this PHE 327 Module 4 discussion example is built
Upper Peninsula's assessment names its paradox: isolated people answer least. The main design draws about 1,200 addresses of residents 65 and older from property records and voter rolls, noting renters who don't vote are missed. Dillman and colleagues' multiple contacts, a notice, the survey, a reminder and a replacement, plus a phone option and a meal pass, aim to raise response. Meal drivers and rural mail carriers, trusted partners in the sense Israel and colleagues describe, offer a short version to people living alone as a separate, non-random check. Weighting to census figures corrects some imbalance. The PHE 327 post asks peers what second route would reach their hardest group.
Where the PHE 327 Module 4 rubric puts the points
Graders of the PHE 327 sampling discussion typically reward a clear sampling frame and method, recognition of who the frame excludes, an explanation of how nonresponse could bias results for the specific question, evidence-based methods to raise response, a creative but honest second route for hard-to-reach groups and an understanding of what weighting can and cannot do. Posts that score highest keep non-random samples separate from random estimates. Graders value plain explanations of technical ideas. Correct APA 7 citations and focused writing complete stronger posts. Peer replies that spot a missing group or a bias in a classmate's frame earn credit. Honesty about limits counts.
PHE 327 Module 4 help: the mistakes that cost points
Sampling posts in this course lose marks when they assume a convenience sample represents a community, ignore who a list leaves out, mix non-random and random results into one estimate, overstate what weighting can fix or offer no concrete ways to raise response. If your assessment uses an online survey, intercept interviews or focus groups, send the prompt and your target population so the post addresses the biases of that method. Knowing what lists are available locally helps. Our PHE 327 sampling posts name the people most likely to be missed and give them their own route in. Name your list source if you know it.
Get PHE 327 Module 4 written to your instructions
Tell us your PHE 327 Module 4 prompt and the population you are surveying. The post will describe a sampling frame and its gaps, explain likely nonresponse bias, propose evidence-based ways to raise response and a route to hard-to-reach groups and set out what weighting can do, typically back within two days, with the first post free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More PHE 327 papers and related BS Public Health samples
- PHE 327 Module 1 Discussion: What a Community Assessment Is For
- PHE 327 Module 2 Indicators Short Paper: Choosing Indicators and Existing Data Sources
- PHE 327 Module 3 Instrument Short Paper: Building a Survey From Tested Questions
- PHE 321 Module 5 Project One: Estimating the Burden of Chagas Disease in Three Counties
- PHE 101 Module 1 Discussion: What Makes This a Public Health Problem
PHE 327 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PHE 327 Module 4 Discussion sample?
This page has the full PHE 327 Module 4 post on sampling and nonresponse when surveying isolated older adults who rarely answer surveys.
What is a sampling frame?
The list from which a sample is drawn, such as addresses or voter rolls, which determines who has a chance of being selected and who is left out.
How can mailed survey response rates be improved?
Through multiple contacts, a personalized cover letter, an easy-to-complete design, a small incentive and an alternative way to respond such as by phone.
What is nonresponse bias?
Distortion that occurs when people who do not respond differ from those who do in ways related to what is being measured.
Can weighting fix nonresponse?
Partly. Weighting adjusts for known differences such as age or living alone, but cannot account for differences in characteristics that were not measured.