Investigation of validity of closed questions in a survey of British South Asian and white populations.

Objectives: The paper concerns the validity of closed-format questions in an interview-based population survey and focuses on a comparison of South Asian and white respondents.

Method: A two-part interview consisting of open, respondent-centred questions followed by closed questions taken from a large-scale interview-based health survey was carried out with 15 persons from white and 14 from South Asian communities resident in the UK. Interviewees' views of their stays in hospital was the focus.