FELLOWSHIP for INTERNATIONAL SERVICE and HEALTH
Collaborating with our local and global communities to provide sustainable health and educational services.
How to Conduct a Focus Group - Key Takeaways
These notes are gathered from two different sources listed below.
What is a focus group?
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A focus group can be a helpful tool in gathering information about a community and its needs
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Characterizing social and cultural norms
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Identifying common themes/issues
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It consists of a group of people with certain characteristics who generate narrative data in a focused discussion
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The group dynamic is helpful because is
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Widens range of responses
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Activates forgotten details for participants
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Releases inhibitions/makes people feel more comfortable
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Designing focus groups studies
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Ideal to have 5-10 participants per group
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Stratification - may need to conduct separate groups by gender/age/etc depending on topic
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Be mindful of power differentials between participants and avoid this
Discussion Guide
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No more than 8-12 questions that are discussed for around 5-10 minutes each
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Opening questions - should be more straightforward that can be answered quickly based on facts to make the participants more comfortable
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Introductory questions - foster interaction and focus on topic at hand
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Transition questions and key questions - move group towards discussing the key, often more complex and/or difficult questions
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Keep language conversational, clear, and simple
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Keep questions open ended and not leading, so that people answer honestly
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One useful tool is to use the phrase “Think back to…”
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Ex: “Think back to a time you were at the doctor’s office …related question”
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This grounds participants and takes them back to an experience they can draw upon
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Avoid:
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Asking why (sharp and may cause defensiveness). Instead ask how
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Giving examples (may lead participants in an inauthentic direction)
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Be sensitive of participants of time, cultural issues, language, etc
Moderating the focus group
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Its helpful to have two moderators -- one that can lead question asking and another who can be more attentive to participants non verbal responses (ex: people nodding) and group dynamics
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Listen acutely/actively (making eye contact with participants and being respectful)
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Control and guide conversation, stay on track without truncating conversation
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Be able to suppress our own personal views and be unbiased
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Make participants comfortable
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Start with an icebreaker question to get participants talking
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Try to identify speakers by name (As Mary said earlier...does anyone agree or disagree?)
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Ask clarifying probes during a discussion
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Question asked could be: What makes a good doctor?
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Potential following probes: What makes you think that? What do you mean by nice personality? How would a doctor demonstrate the things you mentioned? What has your past experience been like?
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Analysis of focus group data
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Have to remember the group is the unit of analysis! (not the individuals)
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Ascertain whether something was a view of one member or a theme for the group
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Note whether a specific discussion emerged as a result of moderator prompting or spontaneously from the group
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More text/discussion does not necessarily mean the topic is more important
Notes gathered from:
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Yale Global Health Leadership Institute
Lecture: Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods
Leslie Curry, PhD, MPH
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OMNI Institute
Basic Tools for Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection
Resources to check out for more detailed information
Takeaways from Focus Group 3, conducted in
Winter 20
Accessibility of Healthcare
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Don’t receive high quality medical attention, general health insurance is not enough to be treated well. Struggle visiting the health clinic because conflicts with work times.
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Often have to wait months for an appointment (up to 6 months for surgery)
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Visiting the doctor wastes time and money because long wait times force missing work
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Some reported standing in line at 2am and waiting until noon to see the doctor not everyone can afford to do so
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Private doctors waste less time but are too expensive
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There is a “clinic by the field” but they do not treat serious conditions, and are limited to basics such as the flu shot
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Sports center offers general medical services M-F (9am-1pm) with one doctor provided as government assistance (Seguro Popular) but it is a very basic general exam (no dental or vision)
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Specialists and ambulances are very expensive (check ups and general medical assistance are cheap)
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Pediatrics are 7 times more expensive
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Medicines are expensive (on top of visits)
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Need for dental care and psychologists
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Many insurances do not cover several basic treatments and assessments (lack of government oversight)
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Accessibility issues for disabled folks (city buses and taxis are not accommodating
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One individual shares problems with misdiagnosis of her son’s learning disability, she had to push back to obtain a thorough diagnosis
Feedback for FISH
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Positive comments about FISH. Really appreciate that it is free
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Around 40% of community knows about FISH but more people are learning about it through our advertisements
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Health consulting is very accessible because it is in the heart of the marketplace (many people find out about FISH by being at the market)
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What FISH can do: kid workshops, remodeling the park by painting, more health workshops, more advertisement of health clinics
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Advertisement - repeated emphasis on leaving flyers with them which they spread in schools, churches, etc
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Demographics of Maclovio Rojas
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Many immigrants in the community, mostly families
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US immigration policies affect the community. People leave for better life in the US or are deported and sent back.
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Commercial policies of the US affect the community with rising costs and falling salaries
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No support from the government results in a lack of resources
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About 60% of Maclovio doesn't have resources such as water and sewer systems
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Families often live together - one house may hold 3 families. Husbands leave for work (generally factories)
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In comparison to other communities, Maclovio is more spacious. Land is sought after to build more factories
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Lot of pollution and contamination as a result of factories (birds dying)
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Common challenge in Maclovio is regulation of legal land and property. Does not have government oversight Maclovio is not legally recognized by Mexican government
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Petitions to the government are ignored
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Constant fear of displacement from homes as a result of lack of legal titles/papers
Interview with Nahomy
The following document contains key takeaways from an interview with Nahomy, which provided important community/demographic information about Maclovio and feedback on FISH.
Health Issues in Maclovio
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They have the general clinic, but they don't have the necessary resources for severe health problems.
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1-2 weeks for a general check up. 1-2 months for vaccinations. They don't treat severe health conditions.
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There's the necessary medical resources (treatments) but people don't go for them and don't take care of their health.
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There is access to fruits and vegetables, they range around the same price from meats and dairy. They usually consume more fast food than homemade foods.
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Buy food at the market place than at the grocery stores.
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They don't take into consideration the health tips provided by experts because of financial struggles.
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People listen to the health tips and recommendations by fish but don't necessarily apply them in their daily lives
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Besides the tips and recommendations also let them know of the consequences that the bad habits can have on them
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People simply aren't interested in regular health check ups, and the long waiting times discourage them from attending the clinics for health check ups.
Demographics of Maclovio
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80% of the population has lived in maclovio since they were born and about 20% have migrated.
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The majority of the migrants who arrive at Maclovio stay there. Single migrants come and go, but families typically stay depending on the space they could live in
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The kids take the most advantage of fish, adults are asking about the english classes as well
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They're not sure what other programs we offer, she didn't understand that the problems we offer depends on their needs
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They would appreciate computational workshops, since it is now becoming a necessity for most jobs
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They would want us to help to renew their sports center (paint/clean etc.)
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Have the eye and diabetes check ups be more often
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They want us to help fix up their community center
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The funding comes within the community itself
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Their main focus is on the kids, they acknowledge that the kids are the future of Malcovio
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Economy hardships within Malcovio, leading to diet struggles and living situations. many kids drop the education to help their kids financially.
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There isn't a high school in Maclovio, they need a transportation mode to travel to their high school and many don't have enough money for transportation
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Less than half have a stable form of transportation
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Large number of single moms and are left alone with the responsibilities of the whole family.
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There aren't roads, it's all dirt and in the rainy season it all turns into mud and it makes it hard to commute.
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No lights on roads, and very limited water resources.
Perceptions of FISH
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(to notify of upcoming events) By phone calls with the staff or by mail.
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They don't have enough money to pay for their internet with high capacity in order for the kids to use the computers.
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She prefers to be contacted by phone. Anything else we can also contact Sra Ortencia.
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Also by creating pamphlets and they could help give them out in advance
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When were not there she reviews the english lessons we have taught them.
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We need to teach them a wide array of topics, so they have a deeper understanding of the whole language.
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Teach them more about how to take care of our environment and help reduce pollution. Awareness on climate change.
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They are very thankful for our projects that we do to help the kids. Although they see a conflict with our constant changes in leaders because the new leader changes the whole course that we have been teaching the kids and they have to adopt once again.
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Many kids become demotivated because we constantly teach them the basics over and over again.
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There were conflicts with the dates, and people show up many times expecting us when we don't have a trip scheduled.