Citation

Basch CE. Health Educ. Q. 1987; 14(4): 411-448.

Affiliation

Department of Health Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Society for Public Health Education, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3319971

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to increase awareness about and stimulate interest in using focus group interviews, a qualitative research technique, to advance the state-of-the-art of education and learning about health. After a brief discussion of small group process in health education, features of focus group interviews are presented, and a theoretical framework for planning a focus group study is summarized. Then, literature describing traditional and health-related applications of focus group interviews is reviewed and a synthesis of methodological limitations and advantages of this technique is presented. Implications are discussed regarding: need for more inductive qualitative research in health education; utility of focus group interviews for research and for formative and summative evaluation of health education programs; applicability of marketing research to understanding and influencing consumer behavior, despite notable distinctions between educational initiatives and marketing; and need for professional preparation faculty to consider increasing emphasis on qualitative research methods.

Language: en