How to find Chinese research participants: use of a phonologically based surname search method.

The frequent use of non-representative, time-consuming and low hit rate sampling methods in the study of minority cultures is of concern. Given the increasing cultural diversity of the Canadian population and the growing Chinese population, a sampling method using phonological rules to distinguish Chinese surnames from non-Chinese ones was developed. Chinese surnames, transcribed according to their pronunciations, follow specific phonological rules. A flowchart was developed using the inclusion and exclusion criteria derived from these rules. Methods to validate Chinese surnames (identified from telephone directory) were external reference source, expert panel, and telephone interview. A total of 266 possible Chinese surnames were selected using the flowchart. External reference source validated 153 surnames, expert panel 53, and telephone interview 23. An overall hit rate of 86.1% (229/266) was achieved, reflecting the validity of the phonological criteria in identifying individuals with a Chinese surname from the general population.