A qualitative inquiry of M alawian radio listeners’ attitudes and perceived outcomes of alcohol use using a mobile data collection platform

and Aims Alcohol use has been associated with an increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) transmission in sub‐ S aharan A frica. Despite this association, there are little data on drinking behaviours in M alawi, a country located in southern A frica. Utilising alternative techniques of data collection, such as mobile technology, may be necessary to eliminate this dearth of information. We use listeners' text messages ( SMS ) in response to a M alawian radio show to assess listeners' attitudes and perceived outcomes of drinking. Design and Methods Mobile phones provide a novel, low‐cost platform from which to gather qualitative data directly from target audiences. To demonstrate the utility of a mobile data collection approach, we analysed listener feedback in the form of SMS in response to a M alawian radio show. Results As emergent themes indicate that the perceived outcomes of consumption affect different levels within a social system, results are stratified within a socioecological framework to identify perceived individual, household and community level outcomes. Discussion and Conclusions As the perceived effects of consumption are numerous and impact a wide swath of communities, alcohol consumption must be addressed through multiple levels. The utilisation of anonymous text responses as a data collection methodology may provide an innovative way to understand contributing factors, such as alcohol consumption, to HIV risk exposure. [Rooney M, Limaye RJ. A qualitative inquiry of Malawian radio listeners' attitudes and perceived outcomes of alcohol use using a mobile data collection platform. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:477–82]