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This report describes the methods and procedures used for the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04). NPSAS:04 is a comprehensive study of financial aid among postsecondary education students in the United States and Puerto Rico that provides information on trends in financial aid and on the ways in which families pay for postsecondary education. NPSAS:04 included important changes from previous NPSAS surveys (conducted in 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, and 2000) in its sample design and collection of data. For example, the current study is the first in the NPSAS series to utilize a web-based instrument for both self- and telephone-administration. Another important change is that NPSAS:04 was designed to provide state-level representative estimates for undergraduate students within three institutional strata--public 2-year institutions; public 4-year institutions; and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions for 12 states that were categorized into three groups based on population size--four large, four medium, and four small: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas. These states were chosen for this "demonstration" study from a set of volunteering states that expressed interest and a willingness to support and encourage participation by their institutions. However, sufficient comparability in survey design and instrumentation was maintained to ensure that important comparisons with past NPSAS studies could be made. The following are appended: (1) Technical Review Panel; (2) Sampling Details; (3) Data Collection Notification Materials; (4) Endorsements; (5) Facsimiles; (6) Training Materials; (7) Data-CADE Specifications; (8) Imputations; (9) Analysis Variables; (10) GEM Adjustment Procedure; (11) Nonresponse Bias Analysis; (12) Details of the Bootstrap Variance Estimation; (13) Weighted Analysis Considerations; and (14) Design Effects. (Contains 57 tables and 16 figures.)

The 2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06), conducted for the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), collected information about the education and employment experiences of students in the two years following their first enrollment in postsecondary education. The primary objective of BPS:04/06 is to follow a cohort of students from the start of their postsecondary education and collect further data from them in 2006 and 2009. This report describes the methodology and findings of the BPS:04/06 field test, which took place during the 2004-05 school year. The BPS:04/06 field test was used to plan, implement, and evaluate methodological procedures, instruments, and systems proposed for use in the full-scale study scheduled for the 2005-06 school year. Appended are: (1) Technical Review Panel Contact List; (2) Data Elements for the BPS:04/06 Student Interview; (3) Advance Contacting and Mailout Materials; (4) Training Materials; (5) Facsimile of Field Test Instrument; and (6) Facsimile of Reinterview Data Collection Instrument. (Contains 6 endnotes, 33 tables, and 7 figures.)

Anand A Dalal1, Carla DeMuro-Mercon2, Sandy Lewis2, Lauren Nelson2, Theresa Gilligan2, Lori McLeod21United States Health Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline, Durham, NC, USA; 2Patient-Reported Outcomes, RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USAPurpose: The Lung Function Questionnaire (LFQ) was developed and validated as a case-finding tool to identify patients at risk of airflow obstruction (AO) that should be evaluated further using spirometry. Our objective was to assess the usability and validity of additional questionnaire-administration modes, including Web-based, interactive voice response system (IVRS)-based, and interviewer-based modes.Design: This multicenter, prospective, noninterventional data-collection study enrolled 149 individuals aged ≥40 years with current or former smoking history. A two-visit crossover design was employed; patients completed the paper-based LFQ and were randomly assigned to complete one of three alternate modes.Methods: Statistical evaluation included item-level, scale-level, and AO risk-classification comparisons; a satisfaction survey assessed patient preference.Results: This study showed a great degree of concordance between alternate forms of the LFQ and the paper version. Results indicated an absence of floor and ceiling effects and the average LFQ item-level means were consistent across modes. LFQ scores were stable between assessments, (administered approximately one week apart) showed exceptionally good agreement, and AO risk classification using the LFQ cut point was consistent across modes.Conclusions: The LFQ is an important case-finding tool to aid primary care physicians in further evaluating symptomatic patients at risk of AO. The alternate modes will further facilitate the implementation and widespread uptake of this tool.Keywords: COPD, spirometry, screening, PRO, case-finding, LFQ