Developing a tablet computer based application to measure self reported alcohol comsumption in Indigenous Australians.pdf (1.2 MB)
Download fileDeveloping a tablet computer-based application (‘App’) to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians
journal contribution
posted on 02.06.2021, 01:41 authored by Kylie LeeKylie Lee, Scott Wilson, Jimmy Perry, Robin RoomRobin Room, Sarah CallinanSarah Callinan, Robert Assan, Noel Hayman, Tanya Chikritzhs, Dennis Gray, Edward Wilkes, Peter Jack, Katherine M ConigraveBackground: 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.
History
Publication Date
01/01/2018Journal
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision MakingVolume
18Issue
1Article Number
8Pagination
11p. (p. 1-11)Publisher
BMCISSN
1472-6947Rights Statement
The Author reserves all moral rights over the deposited text and must be credited if any re-use occurs. Documents deposited in OPAL are the Open Access versions of outputs published elsewhere. Changes resulting from the publishing process may therefore not be reflected in this document. The final published version may be obtained via the publisher’s DOI. Please note that additional copyright and access restrictions may apply to the published version.Publisher DOI
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Keywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineMedical InformaticsAboriginalIndigenousAlcoholMeasurementSurveySOCIAL SURVEY 2002USE DISORDERSDRUGUNDERESTIMATERELIABILITYPOPULATIONCOMMUNITYPATTERNSCRITIQUEDRINKINGHumansAlcohol DrinkingComputers, HandheldSoftware DesignOceanic Ancestry GroupAustraliaSelf ReportMobile Applications