Background Trialists need to plan the data they will collect, how they will do so and how they will analyse it. If data are not collected at the appropriate time, it may be impossible to obtain them later. Inconsistencies in the understanding of participants about the data they are asked to provide may make it impossible to combine it. A lack of advance planning of the analyses may mean that knowledge of the data introduces bias into the reported results.

Pre-prepared smiley face symbols are used widely to gather information on, for example, satisfaction with services or health and well-being. We investigated how women and men of different ages respond when asked to draw a smiley face for themselves. Our objectives were to investigate how they differ by generating a unique set of data to explore this simple human behaviour and to illustrate the importance of considering gender and age mix in any study. We collected 723 drawings, in a variety of settings. Gender and age were provided for 676 drawings (women: 511; men: 165; ≤ 30 years: 335; > 30 years: 341). Although similar proportions of women and men drew some features, such as closed mouths; women and those aged ≤ 30 were less likely to draw noses and outlines around the faces, and more likely to draw a classic smiley face. Our analyses provide a novel way to highlight that whenever self-reported outcomes are compared between groups, the group composition for characteristics such as gender and age may need to be considered carefully to explore whether differences in outcomes might simply arise from imbalances in those characteristics.

methods

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Smiley faces and the need for careful planning in trials

Citations

Inconsistencies in the drawing and interpretation of smiley faces: an observational study

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