PG for AA : 4.0 Methodology for Finding Out About African-American Audiences

Conduct Focus Group Meetings

Focus group meetings are informal meetings with members of the audience to discuss their health knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Focus group meetings provide first-hand, detailed information about members of the African-American community. More diverse focus groups provide a broader range of information. Typically, focus groups consist of eight to ten members from the intended audience. Larger groups are difficult to handle, and more importantly, they provide very little detailed information.

African Americans are more receptive to conversation about their culture in focus groups if the moderator and recorder are African-American. When moderating a focus group, record questions and comments by focus group members. These questions may offer valuable insight into the health attitudes and practices of an African-American audience. Encourage focus group members to talk freely about their health concerns. Focus group meetings should be held in settings that are easily accessible and comfortable for audience members, so that the group discussion is facilitated easily, conveniently, and privately.

Keep in mind that some research methods may not be appropriate for all African-American audiences. It may be helpful to seek more specific information on the research methods described in this guide. A good source of information on conducting focus groups and interviewing is Focus Groups: Theory and Practice.[18]