Original articleA pilot of audio computer-assisted self-interview for youth reproductive health research in Vietnam
Section snippets
The Sample
Youth aged 15 to 24 years from Gialam district, a suburb of Hanoi, were randomized into three groups: face-to-face personal interview administration (PI), pencil-and-paper self-administered (SA), and ACASI. Each group was further analyzed by gender and marital status.
The target sample size for each analytic domain of interest was based upon the following: significance = 95%; power = 80%; difference to be detected = 10 percentage points, assuming a population proportion for premarital sexual
Sample comparability
Investigators identified 2761 potential study participants in the participating towns. Overall, 86.7% of the chosen sample (2394 young people) were interviewed, 2.3% refused to participate, and 11% of the sample were unreachable. There were no significant differences in the nonresponse and absence rates among the three data collection methods. The rate of successful interviews in the three survey methods is 88.7% for personal interview, 86.3% in self-administered interview, and 85.1% for ACASI.
Limitations
There are a number of limitations inherent in a study of this kind. First, the sample is drawn from a single community, thus, the data cannot be generalized to Vietnam as a whole. Secondly, although the three samples were randomly drawn using youth rosters, it is evident that there were some differences among the three groups; and the higher socioeconomic level of the ACASI group may have affected the results. Third, the low prevalence of some sexual behaviors limits the possibilities both in
Discussion
In Vietnam, questions about sexual behaviors and attitudes are still considered sensitive. Such sensitivity is rooted in Confucian culture, where conservative sexual mores have predominated. In such a context, discussion of sexual behaviors has, until recently, been taboo. Thus, the central hypothesis of the present study was that those responding to sensitive questions (e.g., those related to sexual attitudes and behaviors) would be more likely to provide affirmative/less traditional responses
Conclusion
Researchers, policymakers, and program planners have long feared that adolescent sexual and reproductive health interventions have been developed on less than accurate information. The evidence from the United States over the past decade has substantiated the improved response rates to sensitive questions using ACASI. Increasingly, the same is being seen in developing nations given the risks of HIV/AIDS, unplanned pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections. ACASI offers a promising
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Ford Foundation under the project “Strengthening Social Sciences and Reproductive Health Training and Research Capacity at Hanoi School of Public Health.” The authors would like to thank the Hanoi School of Public Health leader board and the Gialam District Health Center.
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