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Research methods for studying injecting drug users in a rural centre
Author(s) -
SPOONER CATHERINE,
BISHOP JANET,
PARR JAN
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1080/09595239700186731
Subject(s) - outreach , focus group , phone , medicine , anonymity , prison , data collection , family medicine , medical education , psychology , political science , business , sociology , criminology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , marketing , law
Abstract Targeted sampling, multiple data collection methods and peer interviewers have been used with success for studies of injecting drug users (IDUs) in main cities. This paper reports the success of a trial of these research methods with IDUs in a rural centre. Recruitment via outreach (for individual interviews and for focus groups), street intercept and service‐based surveys (methadone clinic and prison based surveys) were found to be viable and to vary in their success in recruiting subgroups of IDUs. Their use in combination is recommended so that the largest possible range of IDUs can be recruited. The close involvement of peer interviewers and of an advisory group in planning and implementing these data collections was essential. Advertising was not found to be successful for recruiting to a phone‐in, for focus groups nor to a community forum. Concerns about anonymity, ‘paranoia’ and a general lack of a cohesive IDU community were barriers to recruitment.