Kam Cheong Wong1, Zhiqiang Wang. 1. Centre for Chronic Disease, School of Medicine, University of Queensland. z.wang@uq.edu.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impacts of survey languages on participation and representativeness of the study subjects in a health survey in a Chinese community in Australia. METHOD: A random sample of 500 ethnic Chinese in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia was surveyed during November 2005 to February 2006 by using a bilingual survey questionnaire in their preferred languages, i.e. English or Chinese. RESULTS: 210 questionnaires were returned. Two-thirds of the participants chose to answer the questionnaires in Chinese. Besides being older with relatively lower income, they were more likely to be married, have a Chinese family doctor, and visit a Chinese medicine practitioner. Fewer of them have visited the Diabetes Australia website or read any educational information materials about diabetes. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATION: The multilingual approach is crucial to improving participation and representativeness of samples from ethnic populations.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impacts of survey languages on participation and representativeness of the study subjects in a health survey in a Chinese community in Australia. METHOD: A random sample of 500 ethnic Chinese in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia was surveyed during November 2005 to February 2006 by using a bilingual survey questionnaire in their preferred languages, i.e. English or Chinese. RESULTS: 210 questionnaires were returned. Two-thirds of the participants chose to answer the questionnaires in Chinese. Besides being older with relatively lower income, they were more likely to be married, have a Chinese family doctor, and visit a Chinese medicine practitioner. Fewer of them have visited the Diabetes Australia website or read any educational information materials about diabetes. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATION: The multilingual approach is crucial to improving participation and representativeness of samples from ethnic populations.
Authors: Chindhu Shunmugasundaram; Haryana M Dhillon; Phyllis N Butow; Puma Sundaresan; Claudia Rutherford Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2021-04-02 Impact factor: 4.147