What do Nigerians believe about polio?
There are hundreds of ethnic groups in Nigeria, and many of them have very different beliefs about health and healthcare. It is important to recognize that Nigeria is an incredibly culturally and linguistically diverse country and that this could make research difficult. For example, the Hausa bori believe that polio is caused by a spirit (Inna) that paralyzes victims by drinking blood from their limbs. Modern Islamic beliefs in Nigeria, on the other hand, tend toward biological explanations of polio. (Renne, 2006.)
It is clear that different groups can have different Explanatory Models (EMs) for illnesses like polio. Knowing what these different groups believe about polio is important; EMs could have a very big role in how people approach prevention, immunization and treatment of polio. They could also cause different social reactions to polio or people with polio. It will therefore be necessary to collect Explanatory Models from each of the various groups in Nigeria. Helman (2007) suggests different ways of collecting EMs. Short questionnaires can be used quickly and efficiently, and although they will not be a rich source of information, they can at least give an idea of the explanations different groups in Nigeria have for polio. There are also longer structured and less-structured interviews that can be used.
As previously mentioned, there are issues with both short multiple choice questionnaires and with interviews. These issues are exacerbated here because of the many different cultures and languages; the method of collection used has to be adapted for each group. Language and literacy create the largest barriers for researchers to overcome. Interpreters might be needed for certain areas of Nigeria and certain groups, and any written questionnaire will have to be available in every language necessary. Questionnaires that are meant to be written may have to be administered orally if there is a literacy barrier, which eliminates the efficiency and convenience of choosing a short questionnaire over a longer interview. One way to deal with this issue is to examine the needs of the different groups before approaching them for information; being prepared for someone with a low literacy level or a strong degree of privacy will make it easier to choose and adapt a research method. Of course, this information may not be readily available, but basic literacy levels would be easier to learn about than more in-depth information.
Sampling from each group also poses a problem for researchers. Some groups will be easier to access than others; some groups (or group members) will be more likely to participate than others. Still other members of ethnic groups will be living among each other in diverse communities, perhaps making it more difficult to locate individuals of a target group. Because this will obviously be a widespread research project, it would be best to use a random sampling method within each group. This may not be possible, however. Not everyone is going to be able to be contacted at random (e.g. through the phone). For this reason, a good alternative would be snowball sampling, as Renne (2006) talks about. While not random, it would be the easiest and most convenient method for such research. Again, this would have to be done for each group, because we cannot assume that the EMs of one group match those of another.
It is clear that different groups can have different Explanatory Models (EMs) for illnesses like polio. Knowing what these different groups believe about polio is important; EMs could have a very big role in how people approach prevention, immunization and treatment of polio. They could also cause different social reactions to polio or people with polio. It will therefore be necessary to collect Explanatory Models from each of the various groups in Nigeria. Helman (2007) suggests different ways of collecting EMs. Short questionnaires can be used quickly and efficiently, and although they will not be a rich source of information, they can at least give an idea of the explanations different groups in Nigeria have for polio. There are also longer structured and less-structured interviews that can be used.
As previously mentioned, there are issues with both short multiple choice questionnaires and with interviews. These issues are exacerbated here because of the many different cultures and languages; the method of collection used has to be adapted for each group. Language and literacy create the largest barriers for researchers to overcome. Interpreters might be needed for certain areas of Nigeria and certain groups, and any written questionnaire will have to be available in every language necessary. Questionnaires that are meant to be written may have to be administered orally if there is a literacy barrier, which eliminates the efficiency and convenience of choosing a short questionnaire over a longer interview. One way to deal with this issue is to examine the needs of the different groups before approaching them for information; being prepared for someone with a low literacy level or a strong degree of privacy will make it easier to choose and adapt a research method. Of course, this information may not be readily available, but basic literacy levels would be easier to learn about than more in-depth information.
Sampling from each group also poses a problem for researchers. Some groups will be easier to access than others; some groups (or group members) will be more likely to participate than others. Still other members of ethnic groups will be living among each other in diverse communities, perhaps making it more difficult to locate individuals of a target group. Because this will obviously be a widespread research project, it would be best to use a random sampling method within each group. This may not be possible, however. Not everyone is going to be able to be contacted at random (e.g. through the phone). For this reason, a good alternative would be snowball sampling, as Renne (2006) talks about. While not random, it would be the easiest and most convenient method for such research. Again, this would have to be done for each group, because we cannot assume that the EMs of one group match those of another.