Adverse social conditions experienced in childhood contribute to an elevated burden of disease in affected children, spanning acute and chronic diseases such as injury, diabetes, asthma, infectious disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Socially desirable responses to surveys in general can be affected by data collection format. Computer-based surveys have been shown to be acceptable to adults and to elicit more truthful responses on some sensitive health issues than in-person interviews. Though providers may hesitate to use electronic surveys to elicit information on what could be sensitive topics, research in health care settings has shown greater disclosure by adolescents, adults, and adult caregivers via computer-based screenings versus face-to-face interviews on highly sensitive items surrounding substance use, sexual behavior, and intimate partner violence, with some of this work done in ED settings. In line with results from the current study, other studies have found little difference in reporting rates for less sensitive items across these formats.
(Gottlieb, Hessler, Long, et al, 2014, American Academy of Pediatrics, pp.4)
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/6/e1611.short