Carney Tara, Johnson Kim, Meade Christina, Niemand Nandi, Rooney Jennifer, Weber Sarah, Lambrechts Tersius, Mpisane Noluthando, Horsburgh Charles Robert, Theron Danie, Warren Robin, Thomson Sarah, Overbeck Victoria, Myers Bronwyn, Jacobson Karen
Mental Health, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jun 26;5(6):e0004065. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004065. eCollection 2025.
The Western Cape is South Africa's epicentre for tuberculosis (TB) and smoked drug use such as methamphetamine and methaqualone (Mandrax). Despite this, there are limited studies on people who smoke drugs (PWSD) with TB disease in South Africa, partly due to recruitment challenges. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a network-based sampling method used to recruit such key populations. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the appropriateness and feasibility of RDS as a method for recruiting PWSD for a planned study on TB transmission in this setting. We conducted ten focus group discussions (n = 84) with men and women from Worcester, a rural town in the Western Cape, who self-reported current methamphetamine and/or methaqualone use. Participants were recruited through an existing TB study or community-based outreach. Discussion topics included use of illicit drugs within social networks, feasibility of using RDS methods for recruiting PWSD, and logistical recommendations for the use of RDS and planned study participation. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicate drug use by participants across large social networks which is favorable for RDS methods. The key themes were: 1) drug-use social network characteristics including demographic and geographic differences; 2) perspectives of PWSD on RDS methods; 3) potential challenges to proposed RDS recruitment and participation in a larger research study for PWSD, and 4) participant recommendations to enhance the uptake of RDS and study participation by PWSD. RDS seems to be a feasible method to recruit PWSD and improve the possibility of reaching a diverse sample of PWSD, with clear recommendations from participants regarding how to recruit participants for larger research studies. The current study indicates that conducting formative, qualitative research can assist researchers with RDS study design and planning for additional study activities. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT041515602.
西开普省是南非结核病（TB）以及甲基苯丙胺和甲喹酮（安眠酮）等毒品吸食的中心地区。尽管如此，南非针对吸毒结核病患者的研究仍然有限，部分原因是招募方面存在挑战。应答驱动抽样（RDS）是一种基于网络的抽样方法，用于招募此类关键人群。本定性研究的目的是探讨RDS作为在该环境下为一项关于结核病传播的计划研究招募吸毒者的方法的适用性和可行性。我们与来自西开普省一个乡村小镇伍斯特的男性和女性进行了十次焦点小组讨论（n = 84），这些人自我报告目前使用甲基苯丙胺和/或甲喹酮。参与者通过现有的结核病研究或社区外展活动招募。讨论主题包括社交网络中非法药物的使用、使用RDS方法招募吸毒者的可行性，以及使用RDS和计划参与研究的后勤建议。使用主题分析法对数据进行了分析。结果表明，参与者在大型社交网络中吸毒，这有利于RDS方法的应用。关键主题包括：1）吸毒社交网络特征，包括人口统计学和地理差异；2）吸毒者对RDS方法的看法；3）拟议的RDS招募以及吸毒者参与更大规模研究可能面临的挑战；4）参与者关于提高吸毒者对RDS的接受度和参与研究的建议。RDS似乎是招募吸毒者并提高获取多样化吸毒者样本可能性的可行方法，参与者就如何为更大规模的研究招募参与者提出了明确建议。当前研究表明，开展形成性定性研究可以帮助研究人员进行RDS研究设计和规划其他研究活动。试验注册：ClinicalTrials.gov NCT041515602
