Focus Group & Refining the Survey Instrument
We worked hard to ensure the survey tool captures relevant information and is literacy and culturally appropriate. Researchers drafted multiple iterations, and after translating into Spanish, we tested it out with our indigenous promotores and staff in a focus group. Research team met with 6 of our indigenous speakers from Mexico and Guatemala.
Although the survey participants will only be women, and only female CHW’s/promotores will conduct them, we included our indigenous-language males in the focus group as the knowledge of the indigenous language varies across gender lines. Indigenous participants included one male and one female Aguacatec speaker, two female and one male Mixtec speaker, and one female Triqui speaker.
Using Spanish as our primary language to communicate, the PI began the focus group by explaining the grant and intent of research, and some basic issues why prenatal care important. Dr. Ponce-Gonzalez then led participants through each survey section and the questions.
Discussion was lively and at times sections or questions generated robust conversation between individual language groups, and between individual members of one language group, regarding the best way to frame a question for their community members. The key lessons learned were that we had to simplify and reduce in length the consent and break down the longer questions. We had to find common words that everyone could agree on. On a few questions, while the framing of a question worked for one or two linguistic groups, it didn’t for others. Consensus was to create alternate versions of the same question for some linguistic communities to allow for unique cultural interpretation and understanding. The promotores/CHW’s also proposed a few questions that are relevant for their communities.
This focus group was invaluable as it helped us simplify, refine and shorten the survey instrument so that it is comprehensible for the local populations. We’ve already made a lot of progress on the indigenous translations and I’ll submit some notes on that soon. Look for them!
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