Journal of Adolescent Health
Volume 55, Issue 6, 2014, Pages S6-S12

Respondent-driven sampling for an adolescent health study in vulnerable urban settings: A multi-country study (Review)

Decker M.R.* , Marshall B.D. , Emerson M. , Kalamar A. , Covarrubias L. , Astone N. , Wang Z. , Gao E. , Mashimbye L. , Delany-Moretlwe S. , Acharya R. , Olumide A. , Ojengbede O. , Blum R.W. , Sonenstein F.L.
  • a Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • b Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • c Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • d Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • e Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • f Urban Institute, Washington, DC, United States
  • g Department of Epidemiology and Social Science Research on Reproductive Health, Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
  • h Department of Epidemiology and Social Science Research on Reproductive Health, Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
  • i Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • j Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • k Population Council, New Delhi, India
  • l Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • m Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, University College Hospital Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
  • n Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • o Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4142, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States

Abstract

The global adolescent population is larger than ever before and is rapidly urbanizing. Global surveillance systems to monitor youth health typically use household- and school-based recruitment methods. These systems risk not reaching the most marginalized youth made vulnerable by conditions of migration, civil conflict, and other forms of individual and structural vulnerability. We describe the methodology of the Well-Being of Adolescents in Vulnerable Environments survey, which used respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit male and female youth aged 15-19 years and living in economically distressed urban settings in Baltimore, MD; Johannesburg, South Africa; Ibadan, Nigeria; New Delhi, India; and Shanghai, China (migrant youth only) for a cross-sectional study. We describe a shared recruitment and survey administration protocol across the five sites, present recruitment parameters, and illustrate challenges and necessary adaptations for use of RDS with youth in disadvantaged urban settings. We describe the reach of RDS into populations of youth who may be missed by traditional household- and school-based sampling. Across all sites, an estimated 9.6% were unstably housed; among those enrolled in school, absenteeism was pervasive with 29% having missed over 6 days of school in the past month. Overall findings confirm the feasibility, efficiency, and utility of RDS in quickly reaching diverse samples of youth, including those both in and out of school and those unstably housed, and provide direction for optimizing RDS methods with this population. In our rapidly urbanizing global landscape with an unprecedented youth population, RDS may serve as a valuable tool in complementing existing household- and school-based methods for health-related surveillance that can guide policy. © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.

Author Keywords

Respondent-driven sampling Adolescent health Gender differences

Index Keywords

Nigeria urban area China household multicenter study India economics sampling respondent driven sampling poverty Population Surveillance Sampling Studies mental health human epidemiology trends statistics and numerical data economic aspect housing Adolescent Health Services Urbanization Urban Health gender identity procedures adolescent health South Africa health United States student Young Adult cross-sectional study migrant Humans Adolescent male female substance use Review school sexual health major clinical study absenteeism global health Poverty Areas child health care Reproductive Health Students gender based violence health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84918769818&doi=10.1016%2fj.jadohealth.2014.07.021&partnerID=40&md5=af5f438913e6e13321da7b4eed509db1
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.07.021
ISSN: 1054139X
Cited by: 19
Original Language: English