Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians
Abstract Background The challenges of assessing alcohol consumption can be greater in Indigenous communities where there may be culturally distinct approaches to communication, sharing of drinking containers and episodic patterns of drinking. This paper discusses the processes used to develop a tabl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12911-018-0583-0 |
| _version_ | 1818278005204582400 |
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| author | KS Kylie Lee Scott Wilson Jimmy Perry Robin Room Sarah Callinan Robert Assan Noel Hayman Tanya Chikritzhs Dennis Gray Edward Wilkes Peter Jack Katherine M. Conigrave |
| author_facet | KS Kylie Lee Scott Wilson Jimmy Perry Robin Room Sarah Callinan Robert Assan Noel Hayman Tanya Chikritzhs Dennis Gray Edward Wilkes Peter Jack Katherine M. Conigrave |
| author_sort | KS Kylie Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The challenges of assessing alcohol consumption can be greater in Indigenous communities where there may be culturally distinct approaches to communication, sharing of drinking containers and episodic patterns of drinking. This paper discusses the processes used to develop a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to collect a detailed assessment of drinking patterns in Indigenous Australians. The key features of the resulting App are described. Methods An iterative consultation process was used (instead of one-off focus groups), with Indigenous cultural experts and clinical experts. Regular (weekly or more) advice was sought over a 12-month period from Indigenous community leaders and from a range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals and researchers. Results The underpinning principles, selected survey items, and key technical features of the App are described. Features include culturally appropriate questioning style and gender-specific voice and images; community-recognised events used as reference points to ‘anchor’ time periods; ‘translation’ to colloquial English and (for audio) to traditional language; interactive visual approaches to estimate quantity of drinking; images of specific brands of alcohol, rather than abstract description of alcohol type (e.g. ‘spirits’); images of make-shift drinking containers; option to estimate consumption based on the individual’s share of what the group drank. Conclusions With any survey platform, helping participants to accurately reflect on and report their drinking presents a challenge. The availability of interactive, tablet-based technologies enables potential bridging of differences in culture and lifestyle and enhanced reporting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:10:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-955031a039304f249a9a80f7add60109 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6947 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:10:33Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-955031a039304f249a9a80f7add601092022-12-22T00:08:37ZengBMCBMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making1472-69472018-01-0118111110.1186/s12911-018-0583-0Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous AustraliansKS Kylie Lee0Scott Wilson1Jimmy Perry2Robin Room3Sarah Callinan4Robert Assan5Noel Hayman6Tanya Chikritzhs7Dennis Gray8Edward Wilkes9Peter Jack10Katherine M. Conigrave11University of Sydney, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, Indigenous Health and Substance Use, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and AlcoholUniversity of Sydney, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, Indigenous Health and Substance Use, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and AlcoholAboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council (ADAC) South AustraliaCentre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe UniversityCentre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe UniversityAlcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Service, Queensland HealthSouthern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health CareNational Drug Research Institute, Curtin UniversityNational Drug Research Institute, Curtin UniversityNational Drug Research Institute, Curtin UniversityDrug Health Services, Royal Prince Alfred HospitalUniversity of Sydney, Discipline of Addiction Medicine, Indigenous Health and Substance Use, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Indigenous Health and AlcoholAbstract Background The challenges of assessing alcohol consumption can be greater in Indigenous communities where there may be culturally distinct approaches to communication, sharing of drinking containers and episodic patterns of drinking. This paper discusses the processes used to develop a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to collect a detailed assessment of drinking patterns in Indigenous Australians. The key features of the resulting App are described. Methods An iterative consultation process was used (instead of one-off focus groups), with Indigenous cultural experts and clinical experts. Regular (weekly or more) advice was sought over a 12-month period from Indigenous community leaders and from a range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals and researchers. Results The underpinning principles, selected survey items, and key technical features of the App are described. Features include culturally appropriate questioning style and gender-specific voice and images; community-recognised events used as reference points to ‘anchor’ time periods; ‘translation’ to colloquial English and (for audio) to traditional language; interactive visual approaches to estimate quantity of drinking; images of specific brands of alcohol, rather than abstract description of alcohol type (e.g. ‘spirits’); images of make-shift drinking containers; option to estimate consumption based on the individual’s share of what the group drank. Conclusions With any survey platform, helping participants to accurately reflect on and report their drinking presents a challenge. The availability of interactive, tablet-based technologies enables potential bridging of differences in culture and lifestyle and enhanced reporting.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12911-018-0583-0AboriginalIndigenousAlcoholMeasurementSurvey |
| spellingShingle | KS Kylie Lee Scott Wilson Jimmy Perry Robin Room Sarah Callinan Robert Assan Noel Hayman Tanya Chikritzhs Dennis Gray Edward Wilkes Peter Jack Katherine M. Conigrave Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making Aboriginal Indigenous Alcohol Measurement Survey |
| title | Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians |
| title_full | Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians |
| title_fullStr | Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians |
| title_short | Developing a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians |
| title_sort | developing a tablet computer based application app to measure self reported alcohol consumption in indigenous australians |
| topic | Aboriginal Indigenous Alcohol Measurement Survey |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12911-018-0583-0 |
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