Public Health: Qualitative Methods of Research
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Public Health: Qualitative Methods of Research
A structured interview is a quantitative method of data collection entailing the use of standardized questions in a premeditated sequence to gather information regarding a topic of interest (McKenzie, 2017). Similarly, a semi-structured interview is a method of data collection that uses standardized questions to explore a particular research topic. Contrary to a structured interview, the premeditated questions allows the interviewer to explore new developments during the interview.
A semi-structured interview is also used in qualitative research as opposed to structured interviews that are used in quantitative research. Structured interviews are advantageous because they are time efficient and provide accurate data that make it easy to test for a study’s reliability. However, they lack detail and are not flexible, meaning that important information emerging during the interview may not be collected if it was not included in the questionnaire.
On the other hand, semi-structured interviews are flexible and the use of open-ended questions allows the interviewer to have an in-depth knowledge of the research topic (McKenzie, 2017). However, they are time consuming due to their qualitative nature.
Questions on Community Needs Assessment on Physical Activity
Structured Interviews
1. How many times a week do you engage in physical activities?
2. Are there programs or groups in your neighbourhood that offer health and physical activity services?
3. Approximately how many hours do you spend doing intensive physical activity at work?
4. How often do you see public health campaigns promoting physical activity targeting your neighbourhood?
o Rarely
o Often
o Very Often
o Never
Semi-Structured Interviews
5. How do you think your level of physical activity affects your health and wellbeing?
6. What do you identify as the enabling or limiting factors to physical activity?
7. Given a chance to propose for programs that would improve the wellbeing of your community, what programs would you suggest? What factors would influence your decision?
