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| Mike Saks and Judith Allsop |
Chapter 7 - The Use of Focus
Groups in Research into Health
Judith Green |
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| Contributor
biography |
| Judith Green is Reader in Sociology
of Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, UK, where she is currently Head of the Health
Services Research Unit. She teaches methodology and has
a particular interest in the development of qualitative
methods for health research and the sociology of health.
Her main research interests are: health care organisation
in the UK, including studies in primary care, accident
and emergency departments and critical care; the sociology
of risk, including research on accidents and food safety;
and accidental injury, especially policy development and
inequalities in injury. Her publications include: Risk
and Misfortune: A Sociology of Accidents (UCL Press)
and (as co-author with Nicki Thorogood) Qualitative
Methods for Health Research (Sage) and Analysing
Health Policy: A Sociological Approach (Longmans).
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| Chapter overview |
| This chapter examines the typical
structure of a focus group and the kinds of questions
that can be explored in a focus group setting. It examines
the different types of resource required for running a
focus group and the strengths and weaknesses of the method.
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| Chapter links |
Chapter
16 - Mixed Methods and Multidisciplinary Research in Health
Care
Chapter 19 - Involving the Consumer
in Health Research |
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| Suggested
Online Readings |
| Ekblad,
S. and Bffrnhielm, S. (2002) ‘Focus Group Interview
Research in Transcultural Psychiatry: Reflections on Research
Experiences ‘, Transcultural Psychiatry,
39 (4): 484-500. |
| The paper discusses the use of focus
group interviews as a research method in transcultural
psychiatry. Focus groups are a new method in health research
that can provide a contextual basis for making culturally-sensitive
interpretations. The advantages and disadvantages of the
method are illustrated with examples from the author’s
research with immigrants and refugees in Sweden. |
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| Royster,
M.O., Richmond, A., Eng, E. and Margolis, L. (2006) ‘Hey
Brother, How's Your Health? A Focus Group Analysis of
the Health and Health-Related Concerns of African American
Men in a Southern City in the United States’, Men
and Masculinities, 8 (4): 389-404. |
| In paper discusses six focus groups
on issues relating to health with 59 African-American
men. The aim of the focus groups was to identify concerns
and experiences that could contribute to poor health.
The aspects of male gender socialization identified as
major barriers to health were unhealthy diet, limited
exercise, unsafe sex, and substance abuse. Participants
with poor resources discussed their drug-infested communities,
economic constraints, crime, lack of affordable health
insurance, and perceived discrimination in health care
encounters. Participants with more formal education and
financial resources expressed concerns about managed care
and chronic diseases. The paper argues that these contextual
factors must be taken into account when addressing the
health of African American men. |
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| Twinn,
S. (2000) ’The Analysis of Focus Group Data: A Challenge
to the Rigour of Qualitative Research’, Journal
of Research in Nursing, 5 (2): 140-46. |
| This paper reports a case study of
Hong Kong Chinese women's experiences and perceptions
of screening for cervical cancer. In the second stage
of the study, 12 focus group interviews were undertaken
in Chinese audio-taped, transcribed and translated. The
paper considers the difficulties of data analysis and
factors such as the unit of analysis, dynamics within
the groups, between-group variations, consistency of the
data, and the problems of translation. |
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| Further Reading |
| Barbour, R. and Kitzinger, J. (eds.)
(1998) Developing Focus Group Research: Politics, Theory
and Practice. London: Sage. |
| This collection of papers stimulates
more thoughtful use of focus groups by addressing methodological
and practical issues, including researching sensitive
topics, ethical considerations and different styles of
analysis. |
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| Bloor, M., Frankland, J., Thomas,
M. and Robson, K. (2001) Focus Groups in Social Research.
London: Sage. |
| This book usefully discusses the more
methodological issues raised by employing focus groups
in social research in health, and is particularly strong
on issues of analysis and interpretation. |
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| Kreuger, R. and Casey, M. A. (2000)
Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research.
London: Sage. |
| The authors of this text use their
experience of a range of studies/participants to provide
excellent practical advice on all stages of an applied
focus group study – planning and recruiting, moderating,
coping with problems and managing and reporting data. |
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