Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting
Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have used Internet-based applications to conduct virtual group meetings, but this is not feasible in low-resource settings. In a community health research project in Bauchi State, Nigeria, COVID-19 restrictions precluded planned face-to-face mee...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076211070386 |
| _version_ | 1819282977212858368 |
|---|---|
| author | Khalid Omer Umaira Ansari Amar Aziz Khalid Hassan Lami Aminati Bgeidam Muhd Chadi Baba Yagana Gidado Neil Andersson Anne Cockcroft |
| author_facet | Khalid Omer Umaira Ansari Amar Aziz Khalid Hassan Lami Aminati Bgeidam Muhd Chadi Baba Yagana Gidado Neil Andersson Anne Cockcroft |
| author_sort | Khalid Omer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have used Internet-based applications to conduct virtual group meetings, but this is not feasible in low-resource settings. In a community health research project in Bauchi State, Nigeria, COVID-19 restrictions precluded planned face-to-face meetings with community groups. We tested the feasibility of using cellular teleconferencing for these meetings. Methods In an initial exercise, we used cellular teleconferencing to conduct six male and six female community focus group discussions. Informed by this experience, we conducted cellular teleconferences with 10 male and 10 female groups of community leaders, in different communities, to discuss progress with previously formulated action plans. Ahead of each teleconference call, a call coordinator contacted individual participants to seek consent and confirm availability. The coordinator connected the facilitator, the reporter, and the participants on each conference call, and audio-recorded the call. Each call lasted less than 1 h. Field notes and debriefing meetings with field teams supported the assessment of feasibility of the teleconference meetings. Results Cellular teleconferencing was feasible and inexpensive. Using multiple handsets at the base allowed more participants in a call . Guidelines for facilitators and participants developed after the initial meetings were helpful, as were reminder calls ahead of the meeting. Connecting women participants was challenging. Facilitators needed extra practice to support group interactions without eye contact and body language signals. Conclusions With careful preparation and training, cellular teleconferencing can be a feasible and inexpensive method of conducting group discussions in a low-resource setting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:24:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c464d74e9ac349b99ed277ea23114fec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:24:09Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-c464d74e9ac349b99ed277ea23114fec2022-12-21T17:22:34ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762022-01-01810.1177/20552076211070386Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource settingKhalid Omer0Umaira Ansari1Amar Aziz2Khalid Hassan3Lami Aminati Bgeidam4Muhd Chadi Baba5Yagana Gidado6Neil Andersson7Anne Cockcroft8 Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), , Acapulco, Mexico Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), , Acapulco, Mexico Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), , Acapulco, Mexico Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Bauchi, Nigeria Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Bauchi, Nigeria Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Bauchi, Nigeria Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Bauchi, Nigeria Department of Family Medicine, CIET-PRAM, , Montreal, Canada Department of Family Medicine, CIET-PRAM, , Montreal, CanadaIntroduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have used Internet-based applications to conduct virtual group meetings, but this is not feasible in low-resource settings. In a community health research project in Bauchi State, Nigeria, COVID-19 restrictions precluded planned face-to-face meetings with community groups. We tested the feasibility of using cellular teleconferencing for these meetings. Methods In an initial exercise, we used cellular teleconferencing to conduct six male and six female community focus group discussions. Informed by this experience, we conducted cellular teleconferences with 10 male and 10 female groups of community leaders, in different communities, to discuss progress with previously formulated action plans. Ahead of each teleconference call, a call coordinator contacted individual participants to seek consent and confirm availability. The coordinator connected the facilitator, the reporter, and the participants on each conference call, and audio-recorded the call. Each call lasted less than 1 h. Field notes and debriefing meetings with field teams supported the assessment of feasibility of the teleconference meetings. Results Cellular teleconferencing was feasible and inexpensive. Using multiple handsets at the base allowed more participants in a call . Guidelines for facilitators and participants developed after the initial meetings were helpful, as were reminder calls ahead of the meeting. Connecting women participants was challenging. Facilitators needed extra practice to support group interactions without eye contact and body language signals. Conclusions With careful preparation and training, cellular teleconferencing can be a feasible and inexpensive method of conducting group discussions in a low-resource setting.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076211070386 |
| spellingShingle | Khalid Omer Umaira Ansari Amar Aziz Khalid Hassan Lami Aminati Bgeidam Muhd Chadi Baba Yagana Gidado Neil Andersson Anne Cockcroft Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting Digital Health |
| title | Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting |
| title_full | Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting |
| title_fullStr | Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting |
| title_full_unstemmed | Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting |
| title_short | Participatory health research under COVID-19 restrictions in Bauchi State, Nigeria: Feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low-resource setting |
| title_sort | participatory health research under covid 19 restrictions in bauchi state nigeria feasibility of cellular teleconferencing for virtual discussions with community groups in a low resource setting |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076211070386 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT khalidomer participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT umairaansari participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT amaraziz participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT khalidhassan participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT lamiaminatibgeidam participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT muhdchadibaba participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT yaganagidado participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT neilandersson participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting AT annecockcroft participatoryhealthresearchundercovid19restrictionsinbauchistatenigeriafeasibilityofcellularteleconferencingforvirtualdiscussionswithcommunitygroupsinalowresourcesetting |