Objectives
The purpose of gathering information is to understand a specific community health issue. In this case, we need information about reproductive health among women in the community. Reproductive health is a major issue in the community. It is a very important part of the health responsibilities of any government. However, information about reproductive health is not always straightforward. A survey needs to be conducted in order to understand how the population feels about this issue. Reproductive health encompasses a number of issues including HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, and methods of birth control among many other issues.
All these questions need to be asked in the survey in order to understand the public opinion on this issue. Because of the private nature of the information, the researcher signs a non-disclosure agreement. Not all the information gathered in the survey will be released to the public. However, the public can be made aware of the results of analysis done on information obtained from the survey. The objectives of this survey are to obtain the relevant information concerning reproductive health issues among women including availability of reproductive health services in community health centers and hospitals as well as the main issues of concern to women.
Sample
It is not possible to ask every member of the community these questions. A sample is chosen that represents the whole population to the best of the researchers view (Creswell, 2003). There are different ways of selecting a sample. In this instance, we are dealing with a relatively small community. A simple random sample will be sufficient for the survey since it will help with eliminating any bias from the data collected (Vogt, 2010).
The survey wants to collect information on female reproductive health. It therefore means that the sample will consist of women in the community who are at their reproductive age. The sample will therefore be restricted to women between the ages of 18 and 40 years. The lower age limit is important. The legal age in the country is 18 years. Before a woman below the legal age can disclose their sexual health information, they need to have authorization from their parents or guardians. However, this is not encouraged because it might lead to the respondent having misgivings about their responses.
In order to ensure privacy, the names of the respondents will not be required and will not be placed anywhere on the questionnaire (Grbich, 2007). Only necessary information will be required in order to ensure quality data is obtained. Once the sample population has been selected, the researcher can then approach people in the community who fulfill these requirements and conduct the survey (Bazeley, 2013).
Data collection method
A survey has been identified as the way in which the data is going to be collected. When conducting a survey, it is important to have the correct data collection tools to ensure that the information required is obtained (Sapsford & Jupp, 2006). In this case, a sample population for the survey has been identified and the data required is known. Reproductive health issues are sensitive to many people. Privacy is a major concern. This eliminates a number of data collection methods such as focus group meetings. The respondents need to be assured of privacy in order to give the best results. A questionnaire is the best method for this type of data collection. The questionnaire will contain all the required questions and provide the respondent with a private way to respond to the questions (Davino & Fabbris, 2013).
A questionnaire is also preferred because if a respondent does not feel comfortable about some questions, they can choose not to answer them. Although this is not encouraged, it still provides the researcher with useful information. Such information can include reproductive health issues that a woman is not aware of or is not comfortable answering. In general, a questionnaire provides the best option for the researcher. It ensures the privacy of the respondent meaning that the researcher is likely to get more accurate information than other data collection tools would provide (Creswell & Plano, 2007).
Data analysis method
The data analysis method to be used in this survey is going to be both qualitative and quantitative. In terms of individual respondents, the information gathered cannot be easily reduced to numbers (Treiman, 2009). An effective questionnaire guides the respondent to answering the question asked. The questions should be open ended but provide a degree of control for the researcher. This means that it is going to be difficult to collect quantitative data from individual respondents. However, after analysis of the responses, it is possible to get trends from the whole survey. It is easier than to have quantitative representation of this analysis (Cramer, 2003).
The data analysis method will enable the researcher to get the view of the population concerning the issue. For example, it is impossible to get numbers from individual questionnaire; however, it is possible to say that 50% of women between the ages of 18 and 24 have never visited a gynecologist. It is therefore possible to get quantitative data from the analysis of the information gathered from all the questionnaires (Greasley, 2008).
Sample questionnaire
Disclosure agreement
The following questionnaire is administered under the authority of the health department. The objectives of the survey are to obtain important reproductive health information from the population that will enable streamlining of delivery of reproductive health services to women in the area.
The respondent has a choice to participate or not to participate in the survey. The respondent can also stop at any point without any consequences.
In order to ensure privacy, no names or any identifying information will be required or collected during the survey.
Age of respondent:
Have you sought the services of a reproductive health expert within the last one year? If yes, when?
Which particular service did you seek from the reproductive health expert? (specify)
Sexually transmitted infections are a major problem in society. When was the last time you went for a screening of sexually transmitted infections? (specify)
Have you had a cervical cancer screening in the last one year? If no, would you like to have one?
Have you sought a service that was not available in the health facilities you visited? (specify)
Reproductive health services have been integrated so as to provide all the services needed in one location. In your opinion, do you think this approach is going to help more women have better access to reproductive health?
Where do you get information concerning reproductive health issues? (please specify- if the internet is your source, specify the websites you frequently get your information from)
On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, how can you rate the reproductive health facilities in your area?
Do you think the reproductive health experts in your area can be relied upon to be discreet with your reproductive health information? (if no, please specify why)
Do you think access to reproductive health services is affordable in your area?
References
Bazeley, P. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: Practical strategies. Los Angeles [i.e. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
Cramer, D. (2003). Advanced quantitative data analysis. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Plano, C. V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.
Davino, C., & Fabbris, L. (2013). Survey Data Collection and Integration. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Grbich, C. (2007). Qualitative data analysis: An introduction. London: SAGE Publications.
Greasley, P. (2008). Quantitative data analysis using SPSS: An introduction for health & social science. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Sapsford, R., & Jupp, V. (2006). Data collection and analysis. London: SAGE Publications
Treiman, D. J. (2009). Quantitative data analysis: Doing social research to test ideas. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Vogt, W. P. (2010). Data collection. Los Angeles: SAGE.
