Techno-savvy interview methods to aid HIV studies
Changes to sexual behaviour-related interview techniques could be on the cards as rates of new HIV infections continue to rise in northern KZN.
DESPITE abundant research into, and literature on HIV prevention, new infections and unplanned pregnancies remain high in northern KZN.
To find out why, the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies is researching potential alternatives to current interview techniques surrounding sexual behaviour.
Currently, respondents have to answer fieldworkers’ questions verbally, often with other family members present.
This could lead to respondents giving incorrect information, leading to inaccurate results.
‘There could be several reasons research participants might not be answering these questions, or answering them inaccurately,’ said Dr Guy Harling, Research Fellow at Africa Centre.
‘These reasons include participants not recalling all their behaviour during their sexual lifetime, and questions being too uncomfortable to answer.’
Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the study will measure the impact and effectiveness of electronic data collection as the centre considers abandoning conventional interview techniques in favour of techno-savvy alternatives.
The study will apply and assess four research approaches:
• The ‘paper and pen approach’, whereby a fieldworker asks questions and writes down the respondent’s answers.
• ‘Computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) approach’, whereby fieldworkers ask questions and input respondents’ answers into a tablet.
• ‘Computer-assisted self-interview (CASI) approach’, whereby respondents read questions and input them into a tablet themselves.
• ‘Audio-CASI approach’, whereby respondents listen to questions on headphones and input answers into the tablet themselves.
The study will include newly structured sexual questions, to determine how people meet their sexual partners.
These questions will help generate guidelines on how HIV messages should be targeted.
Additionally, some respondents will be asked to discuss what their thoughts were when answering the questions.
This ‘cognitive interviewing’ seeks to understand how people comprehend the questions that are put to them.
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