Survey Analyses on Gulf War Veterans and Pesticide Use

This survey analysis focuses on the use of pesticides during the Gulf War and its effects on military personnel. The survey design, questions, and data collection methods are discussed. The survey instrument was organized into three sections, and the respondents were asked to provide their responses based on one month of service in the theater. The survey was administered by telephone, and the information obtained from the respondents was grouped into different categories based on the questions asked.

Running head: SURVEY ANALYSES
Survey Analyses
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ANALYSIS OF A SURVEY ON GULF WAR VETERANS
Every research includes a survey where the researcher is able to meet with different
respondents to be able to get the answers to the research questi0ons they are doing. In a survey
design, a lot more than just selecting questions to ask is involved . Several things in a survey
design influence a research success. First, your mode of collecting data is an important aspect in
determining the research of the success. The mode will determine the way one responds to the
survey questions thus the information obtained from the research.
The questions you use in a survey have a great impact on the type of responses you get
from the participants (Shah, Ahmad, & Mahmood, 2018). Some questions may cause a lot of
fatigue in the mind of the respondent. The order of the questions should also be well defined and
have a logical flow. A survey design should also include the questions format that is most
favorable for the research. The responses of the respondent will depend on how clear the
questions are and what responses the questions requires. The following is a survey analysis for a
research conducted on the military personnel who were involved in the Gulf war and the use of
pesticides in the war (Fricker et al, 2000).
Research question
What were the forms of pesticides used in the Gulf war and the effects they had on the
people involved in the war?
The survey sampled a different group of defense personnel. the samples were collected
from the military records of the army, marine corps, and the air force who had worked in
ODS/DS in the range of the time the research was supposed to focus on. The samples were
classified as per the services groups that included the military service, rank, special knowledge

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and location. The survey design was based on two basic objectives. One was to collect relevant
data to identify the pesticides used during the ODS/DS. The other one was to enhance recall of
events at the same time not including distortions and biases to the memory of the sampling
personnel.
The survey instrument was further organized into three basic sections. The three sections
were; description of the physical environment by each respondent, use of pesticides on each
person’s uniform or body and use of the pesticides in the field of the respondent and others. The
respondents were to provide their responses to based on one month of service in the theater. An
introduction and questions based on personal identity preceded the three sections. The preceding
questions were necessary to enable for verification of the individual identity. At the end of the
section, concluding questions were also asked. The questions regarded the participant’s
willingness to participate in the follow-up survey and their education.
The time limit for the survey was an average of 30 minutes. To be able to meet the time
limit, a decision on whether to collect information based on the entire time of the ODS/DS
experience or chose a specific month. The best option was to make a selection of a random
month. This would enable collection of the entire experience of the ODS/DS period. The
instruments in the survey were well organized to trigger memories about the period by asking the
questions in the following general format. First, the respondents were asked to visualize him or
her during the selected period. Specific questions regarding their areas of work, eating order,
bathrooms facilities, and their dwelling quarters followed the general questions. The section of
the questions was not only important to the analysis but also contributed a lot in preparing the
respondents for the more detailed question. The detailed questions based on the main part of the
research, which was their use of pesticides followed. Information on the various forms of

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Pesticides was collected first. The forms were then used to ask more questions that are more
specific regarding the form given by each respondent.
The survey was administered by telephone. The telephone had been designed in an
objective to make online survey possible. The interviewer question could be displayed on a
computer screen where each participant would be able to see the question. The respondents
would give their responses on the same screen after they were allowed time to recall. The system
makes it possible for complex surveys to be carried on in an efficient way. The interviewers via
the central monitoring system monitored both audio and visual aspects.
The information was collected at the most appropriate time, which would enable the
respondents to be able to give detailed responses correctly. Different modes of data collection
were used in the survey to collect information. In the survey cooperation of different groups of
the sampled soldiers differed. The Gulf war veterans proved to be the most cooperative. The
RAND interviewers rated the corporation of the participant as “good” to “very good”. Very few
responses were rated as poor to very poor in the survey. Almost 97% of the respondents were
very much interested in the survey. The information obtained from the respondents was grouped
into different groups based on the questions asked. In addition, different geographical locations
were also used to differentiate between the type of the respondents given.
In conclusion, the survey on the research of pesticides used in the war was done in a good
way. The data collection method was efficient and enabled the respondent to give the responses
accordingly. Use of simple and direct questions enabled the information to be acquired in an
efficient and effective way. The good cooperation of the respondent was triggered by the first

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questions that the most important part of a survey. Therefore, the above research survey was
structured in a way that sufficient information on the research topic could be collected.
References
Fricker Jr, D. D., Reardon, E., Spektor, D. M., Cotton, S. K., & Hawes-Dawson, J. (2000). Pesticide
use during the Gulf War: a survey of Gulf War veterans (No. RAND/MR-1018/12-OSD).
RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CA.
Shah, S. Z. A., Ahmad, M., & Mahmood, F. (2018). Heuristic biases in investment decision-
making and perceived market efficiency: A survey at the Pakistan stock exchange.
Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 10(1), 85-110.
Retrieved from
<https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1018z12/
MR1018.12.ch2.pdf >
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