Becker Anne E, Bainivualiku Asenaca, Khan A Nisha, Aalbersberg Bill, Geraghty Paul, Gilman Stephen E, Roberts Andrea L, Navara Kesaia, Richards Lauren, Perloe Alexandra, Beresin Eugene V, Striegel-Moore Ruth H
Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Fiji Med J. 2009;28:18-34.
Behavioral risk assessment is critical to developing intervention strategies to promote adolescent health, but also presents logistical, ethical, and scientific challenges. This paper reports on feasibility of a school-based study of health-risk behaviors in ethnic Fijian adolescent girls.
We assessed feasibility of school-based participation and implementation of assessment in the local vernacular language by examining observational data and by calculating response rates and as well as language selection and item completion rates.
All invited study area schools participated (n=12). Response rates were >70% for study participation among eligible study participants in the overall sample as well as the peri-urban and rural sub-samples. The majority of respondents (71.9%) selected the local Fijian vernacular language version rather than the English version (28.1%). Although 43.6% of respondents completed a questionnaire in a language not spoken as the primary language at home, only ten respondents (1.9%) were assessed as having difficulty with the language of the self-report questionnaire. Item completion rates for the primary outcomes were >90% for both study phases and in both language versions. Study participant response rate for further assessment of concerning symptoms was also very high and teachers were successfully recruited for participation in training and accepting referrals to support these students at each participating school.
School-based behavioral risk data collection in the vernacular language was feasible. Evaluation and referral of individual study participants with concerning symptoms to educators for further assistance and support also appeared feasible. We suggest that close collaboration among Fiji-based and specialty consultants to address scientific, linguistic, logistical, and ethical challenges were contributing factors to study feasibility.
行为风险评估对于制定促进青少年健康的干预策略至关重要，但也带来了后勤、伦理和科学方面的挑战。本文报告了一项针对斐济族青少年女孩健康风险行为的校本研究的可行性。
我们通过检查观察数据、计算回复率以及语言选择和项目完成率，评估了以学校为基础的参与情况以及用当地白话进行评估的可行性。
所有受邀的研究区域学校均参与了研究（n = 12）。在总体样本以及城郊和农村子样本中，符合条件的研究参与者的研究参与回复率均超过70%。大多数受访者（71.9%）选择了斐济当地白话版本而非英文版本（28.1%）。尽管43.6%的受访者用在家中并非主要语言的语言完成了问卷，但只有10名受访者（1.9%）被评估为在自我报告问卷的语言方面有困难。两个研究阶段以及两种语言版本的主要结局的项目完成率均超过90%。对有相关症状进行进一步评估的研究参与者回复率也非常高，并且成功招募了教师参与培训，并接受在各参与学校为这些学生提供支持的转诊。
以当地白话进行校本行为风险数据收集是可行的。将有相关症状的个体研究参与者评估并转诊给教育工作者以获得进一步帮助和支持似乎也是可行的。我们认为，斐济当地顾问和专业顾问之间为应对科学、语言、后勤和伦理挑战而开展的密切合作是研究可行性的促成因素。
