Tapping into the potential of focus groups for research in alcohol and drug education.Focus groups are an invaluable tool in the armor of any researcher in alcohol and drug education. Focus groups owe their popularity to the field of marketing (Kreuger & Casey, 2000). The marketing researchers primarily use this method for testing the negative and positive perceptions of target audiences about various new commodities or potential ideas. In educational settings, focus groups offer numerous applications. In alcohol and drug education, focus groups have been used in a variety of ways. The most common use of focus groups is in conducting needs assessment for educational interventions. For example, Peterson and colleagues (2002) conducted a needs assessment study using focus groups among American Indian American Indian or Native American or Amerindian or indigenous American Any member of the various aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of the Eskimos (Inuit) and the Aleuts. and Alaskan Native women to document their life experiences and perceived recovery needs from alcohol and other drug use. Another needs assessment study by Baldwin and colleagues (1999) used focus groups to determine the HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome prevention needs of Native American out-of-treatment drug users. Focus groups are used for rapid needs assessment particularly in international settings. For example, a study by Chatterjee and colleagues (1996) conducted a rapid needs assessment of the drug abuse situation in Nepal by using focus groups along with semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Theory-based focus groups for needs assessment have also been used. For example, a study by Hahn and colleagues (1996) used Health Belief Model driven focus groups to identify strategies that promote parent involvement with young children in an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) prevention programs. Another common aspect of needs assessment pertains to identification of barriers or obstacles during program implementation. For example, a Finnish study used focus groups to identify possible obstacles in carrying out competent early identification and brief intervention A Brief intervention is a technique, similar to an intervention, to help reduce alcohol misuse. It work in two ways:
Another application of focus groups is in developing conceptual frameworks or guidelines. For example, a study by Shoultz and colleagues (2000) used focus groups to develop culturally appropriate guidelines to prevent alcohol and drug abuse. An additional application of focus groups is in conducting comparative or correlation studies. For example, a study by Delk and Meilman (1996) compared alcohol use among Scottish college students with American college American College is the name of:
One more application of focus groups is in developing instruments. For example, Meyers and colleagues (1995) developed the Comprehensive Addiction Severity Index for Adolescents (CASI-A), which is a 45- to 90-minute comprehensive, semi-structured clinical interview for evaluating adolescents who present for treatment at various provider agencies. The instrument's modules and their individual items were selected and revised based on focus group discussions. Oftentimes focus groups are used for triangulation triangulation: see geodesy. The use of two known coordinates to determine the location of a third. Used by ship captains for centuries to navigate on the high seas, triangulation is employed in GPS receivers to pinpoint their current location on earth. of findings obtained from other research methods. For example, a study by Bass & Kane-Williams (1993) was made to determine the extent of impact of alcohol and other drugs on inner city African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. children by combining focus groups with in-depth reviews of the literature, personal communications, conference proceedings, grant and contract reports, monographs, newspaper and magazine articles, and national survey results. Sometimes focus groups are used as a tool for an intervention. When used for intervention, in the participatory paradigm the skills for conducting focus groups are transferred to the participants in order to empower them. In the conventional research paradigm, as an intervention, focus groups are used to change attitudes of the participants. For example, Sivaram and colleagues (2004) conducted a randomized controlled trial A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a scientific procedure most commonly used in testing medicines or medical procedures. RCTs are considered the most reliable form of scientific evidence because it eliminates all forms of spurious causality. in Chennai, India to test the efficacy of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. prevention messages disseminated through community popular opinion leaders. They used focus groups with wine shop patrons to train community popular opinion leaders. Final application of focus groups entails its use in evaluation. For example, Harvey and colleagues (2002) utilized focus groups in evaluation of a brief tobacco intervention program in three indigenous health care settings in rural and remote north Queensland North Queensland is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the Tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and underdeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and . Focus groups have been adequately used in terms of variety of applications in alcohol and drug education. However, relatively fewer numbers of studies have used focus groups as compared to other fields in health as well as within educational fields. The alcohol and drug education research can benefit more from systematic focus group studies conducted either alone or in combination with other methods. Manor Sharma, MBBS MBBS, MBChB n abbr (BRIT) (= Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) → tÃtulo universitario MBBS, MBChB n abbr (Brit) (= Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) → , CHES, Ph.D. Editor, Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati is a coeducational public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ranked as one of America’s top 25 public research universities and in the top 50 of all American research universities,[2] 526 Teachers College PO Box 210002 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0002 References Aalto, M., Pekuri, P., & Seppa, K. (2003). Obstacles to carrying out brief intervention for heavy drinkers in primary health care: A focus group study. Drug and Alcohol Review, 22, 169-173. Baldwin, J.A., Trotter, R.T., Martinez, D., Stevens, S.J., John, D., & Brems, C. (1999) HIV/AIDS risks among Native American drug users: Key findings from focus group interviews and implications for intervention strategies. AIDS Education and Prevention, 11, 279-292. Bass, L.E. & Kane-Williams, E. (1993). Stereotype or reality: Another look at alcohol and drug use among African American children. Public Health Reports, 108 Supplement 1, 78-84. Chatterjee, A., Uprety, L., Chapagain, M., & Kafle, K. (1996). Drug abuse in Nepal: A rapid assessment study Bulletin on Narcotics The Bulletin on Narcotics is a publication of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. First published in 1949, the bulletin provides a great deal of insight into the legislative history of the drug control treaties of the 20th century, including the earlier treaties as well , 48, 11-33. Delk, E.W. & Meilman, P.W. (1996). Alcohol use among college students in Scotland compared with norms from the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Journal of American College Health, 44, 274-281. Hahn, E.J., Simpson, M.R., & Kidd, P. (1996). Cues to parent involvement in drug prevention and school activities. Journal of School Health, 66, 165-170. Harvey, D., Tsey, K., Cadet-James, Y., Minniecon, D., Ivers, R., McCalman, J., Lloyd, J., & Young, D. (2002). An evaluation of tobacco brief intervention training in three indigenous health care settings in north Queensland. Australian and New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. Journal of Public Health, 26, 426-431. Kreuger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2000). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Meyers, K., McLellan, A.T., Jaeger jaeger (yā`gər), common name for several members of the family Stercorariidae, member of a family of hawklike sea birds closely related to the gull and the tern. The skua is also a member of this family. , J.L., & Pettinati, H.M. (1995). The development of the Comprehensive Addiction Severity Index for Adolescents (CASI-A). An interview for assessing multiple problems of adolescents. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 12, 181-193. Peterson, S., Berkowitz, G., Cart, C.U., & Brindis, C. (2002). Native American women This is a list of famous Native Americans. This is a list of Native American women. Please note that it should contain only Native women of the United States and her territories, not First Nations women or Native women of other countries in North, Central, and South America. in alcohol and substance abuse treatment. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU) is an academic journal founded in 1990 by David Satcher, MD, PhD then President of Meharry Medical College (later, U.S. Surgeon General). , 13, 360-378. Shoultz, J., Tanner, B., & Harrigan, R. (2000). Culturally appropriate guidelines for alcohol and drug abuse prevention. Nurse Practitioner nurse practitioner n. Abbr. NP A registered nurse with special training for providing primary health care, including many tasks customarily performed by a physician. , 25, 50-56. Sivaram, S., Srikrishnan, A.K., Latkin, C.A., Johnson, S.C., Go, V.F., Bentley M.E., Solomon, S., & Celentano, D.D. (2004). Development of an opinion leader-led HIV prevention intervention among alcohol users in Channai India. AIDS Education and Prevention, 16, 137-149. |
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