Exploring inequalities in health with young people through online focus groups: navigating the methodological and ethical challenges
ISSN: 1443-9883
Article publication date: 12 October 2021
Issue publication date: 18 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The use of online focus groups to explore children and young people's (CYP) perspectives of inequalities in health and associated “sensitive” topics raises important ethical and methodological issues to consider. The purpose of the paper is to discuss lessons learnt from navigating the authors' way through some of the key challenges the authors encountered when researching inequalities in health with CYP through online focus groups.
Design/methodology/approach
In the paper, the authors draw on reflections and notes from the fieldwork design, public involvement and engagement (PIE) activities and data collection for their research project.
Findings
Collecting data online influenced the authors' ability to develop rapport and relationships with CYP and to provide effective support when discussing sensitive topics. The authors note that building activities to develop rapport with participants during recruitment and data collection and establishing clear support and safeguarding protocols helped navigate challenges of online approaches around effective and supportive participant engagement.
Originality/value
The paper highlights that despite ethical and methodological challenges of conducting online focus groups with CYP on potentially sensitive topics, the adoption of practical steps and strategies before, during and following data collection can facilitate the safe participation of CYP and generate useful and valid data in meaningful and appropriate ways.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions which have helped us improve this paper. The authors are grateful to the Association for Young People's Health (AYPH) for bringing their expertise in youth engagement to the project which included facilitating discussions on the potential challenges of carrying out focus groups with young people online in advance of data collection and sense-checking the focus group topic guides. The authors thank members of the youth organisations who piloted and provided feedback on the data collection tools and methods. Finally, the authors thank the children, young people and youth organisations that took part in the research for their contributions, insights and support.
Funding: This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR) (grant reference: PD-SPH-2015).
Citation
Woodrow, N., Fairbrother, H., Crowder, M., Goyder, E., Griffin, N., Holding, E. and Quirk, H. (2022), "Exploring inequalities in health with young people through online focus groups: navigating the methodological and ethical challenges", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 197-208. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-06-2021-0064
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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