ERIC Number: EJ756872
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0140-1971
EISSN: N/A
Brief Report: Methods for Collecting Sexual Behaviour Information from South African Adolescents--A Comparison of Paper versus Personal Digital Assistant Questionnaires
Jaspan, Heather B.; Flisher, Alan J.; Myer, Landon; Mathews, Catherine; Seebregts, Chris; Berwick, Jessica R.; Wood, Robin; Bekker, Linda-Gail
Journal of Adolescence, v30 n2 p353-359 Apr 2007
Reporting bias in adolescent behavioural research may be overcome with the use of personal digital assistants (PDA) or other computer based technologies. However, there is little insight into the use of these tools among adolescents in low resource settings. We compared self-administered paper questionnaires with PDA questionnaires to collect sexual behaviour data from a sample of 11-19 year olds living in a periurban, Xhosa-speaking community in South Africa. There was a high level of agreement between sexual risk behaviour data collected via each method (kappas greater than or equal to 0.50). Data collected from the PDA questionnaires were more complete. Subjectively, adolescents found the use of PDA to be simple and confidential. PDA may be a useful method to collect sensitive, self-reported information from adolescents in resource-limited settings.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Adolescents, Sexuality, Computers, Comparative Analysis, Questionnaires, Indigenous Populations, Risk, Health Behavior, Data Collection, Disadvantaged, Information Technology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A