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Focus Group Interview: An Underutilized Research Technique for Improving Theory and Practice in Health Education

Department of Health Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY

The purpose of this article is to increase awareness about and stimulate interest in using focus group interviews, a qualitative research technique, to advance the state-of- the-art of education and learning about health. After a brief discussion of small group process in health education, features of focus group interviews are presented, and a theoretical framework for planning a focus group study is summarized. Then, litera ture describing traditional and health-related applications of focus group interviews is reviewed and a synthesis of methodological limitations and advantages of this tech nique is presented. Implications are discussed regarding: need for more inductive qualitative research in health education; utility of focus group interviews for research and for formative and summative evaluation of health education programs; appli cability of marketing research to understanding and influencing consumer behav ior, despite notable distinctions between educational initiatives and marketing; and need for professional preparation faculty to consider increasing emphasis on qualita tive research methods.

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