Media and Digital Technologies for Mixed Methods Research in Public Health Emergencies Such as COVID-19: Lessons Learned From Using Interactive Radio–SMS for Social Research in Somalia

Radio shows which invite audience participation via short message service (SMS)—interactive radio–SMS—can be designed as a mixed methods approach for applied social research during COVID-19 and other crises in low and middle income countries. In the aftermath of a cholera outbreak in Somalia, we ill...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of mixed methods research Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 304 - 326
Main Authors Riha, Johanna, Abreu Lopes, Claudia, Ibrahim, Naima Abdi, Srinivasan, Sharath
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2021
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Empirical Research
Health research
Low income groups
Mixed methods research
Public health
Radio
Research applications
Research methodology
Social research
Somalia
evaluation
interactive radio
mixed methods
public health
digital technology
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Summary:Radio shows which invite audience participation via short message service (SMS)—interactive radio–SMS—can be designed as a mixed methods approach for applied social research during COVID-19 and other crises in low and middle income countries. In the aftermath of a cholera outbreak in Somalia, we illustrate how this method provides social insights that would have been missed if a purely qualitative or quantitative approach were used. We then examine the strengths and limitations associated with interactive radio–SMS through an evaluation using a multimethod comparison. Our research contributes an application of a mixed methods approach which addresses a specific challenge raised by COVID-19, namely utilizing media and digital technologies for social research in low and middle income countries.
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ISSN:1558-6898
1558-6901
DOI:10.1177/1558689820986748