Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and Alcohol, The University of Sydney, King George V Building, 83-117 Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3084, Australia.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2020 Jul 6;20(1):183. doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-01067-y.
Population estimates of alcohol consumption vary widely among samples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians. Some of this difference may relate to non-representative sampling. In some communities, household surveys are not appropriate and phone surveys not feasible. Here we describe activities undertaken to implement a representative sampling strategy in an urban Aboriginal setting. We also assess our likely success.
We used a quota-based convenience sample, stratified by age, gender and socioeconomic status to recruit Indigenous Australian adults (aged 16+) in an urban location in South Australia. Between July and October 2019, trained research staff (n = 7/10, Aboriginal) recruited community members to complete a tablet computer-based survey on drinking. Recruitment occurred from local services, community events and public spaces. The sampling frame and recruitment approach were documented, including contacts between research staff and services, and then analysed. To assess representativeness of the sample, demographic features were compared to the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing.
Thirty-two services assisted with data collection. Many contacts (1217) were made by the research team to recruit organisations to the study (emails: n = 610; phone calls: n = 539; texts n = 33; meetings: n = 34, and one Facebook message). Surveys were completed by 706 individuals - equating to more than one third of the local population (37.9%). Of these, half were women (52.5%), and the average age was 37.8 years. Sample characteristics were comparable with the 2016 Census in relation to gender, age, weekly individual income, Indigenous language spoken at home and educational attainment.
Elements key to recruitment included: 1) stratified sampling with multi-site, service-based recruitment, as well as data collection events in public spaces; 2) local services' involvement in developing and refining the sampling strategy; and 3) expertise and local relationships of local Aboriginal research assistants, including health professionals from the local Aboriginal health and drug and alcohol services. This strategy was able to reach a range of individuals, including those usually excluded from alcohol surveys (i.e. with no fixed address). Carefully pre-planned stratified convenience sampling organised in collaboration with local Aboriginal health staff was central to the approach taken.
在澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民（土著）的样本中，酒精消费的人口估计差异很大。这种差异的部分原因可能与非代表性抽样有关。在一些社区，家庭调查并不合适，电话调查也不可行。在这里，我们描述了在城市土著环境中实施代表性抽样策略所开展的活动。我们还评估了我们可能取得的成功。
我们使用基于配额的便利样本，按年龄、性别和社会经济地位分层，招募南澳大利亚州一个城市地区的土著澳大利亚成年人（16 岁及以上）。在 2019 年 7 月至 10 月期间，经过培训的研究人员（n=7/10，土著）招募社区成员在平板电脑上完成饮酒调查。招募工作在当地服务机构、社区活动和公共场所进行。记录抽样框架和招募方法，包括研究人员与服务机构之间的联系，然后进行分析。为了评估样本的代表性，将人口普查和住房统计数据与 2016 年澳大利亚统计局的人口普查数据进行比较。
有 32 个服务机构协助数据收集。研究团队与许多服务机构进行了多次联系，以招募组织参与研究（电子邮件：n=610；电话：n=539；短信：n=33；会议：n=34，以及一条 Facebook 消息）。共有 706 人完成了调查，这相当于当地人口的三分之一以上（37.9%）。其中，一半是女性（52.5%），平均年龄为 37.8 岁。样本特征在性别、年龄、周个人收入、在家中使用的土著语言和教育程度方面与 2016 年人口普查数据相当。
成功招募的关键因素包括：1）分层抽样，多地点、基于服务的招募，以及在公共场所进行数据收集活动；2）当地服务机构参与制定和完善抽样策略；3）当地土著研究助理的专业知识和当地关系，包括当地土著卫生和毒品和酒精服务机构的卫生专业人员。这种策略能够接触到各种人群，包括那些通常被排除在酒精调查之外的人群（即没有固定地址的人群）。与当地土著卫生工作人员合作，精心预先规划的分层便利抽样是这种方法的核心。
