JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive in many ways including how we complete our work. With an inability to safely gather, researchers, including our team, were forced to adjust our research methods from in-person to virtual formats. This paper explores the acceptability and suitability of synchronous focus groups as they were employed to explore the effect of housing on health with Métis (citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO)), one of three constitutionally recognized Indigenous groups in Canada

Objective:

The objective of this survey was to understand the experiences of MNO citizens participating in a synchronous virtual focus group.

Methods:

Participants from synchronous virtual focus groups from the MNO “Understanding Housing and Health” project were asked to fill out a survey on the acceptability and suitability of virtual focus groups that was linked in a thank you email for the aforementioned research study. Thirty-six (36) of 39 eligible respondents completed the survey. Respondents were asked to rate their experience, satisfaction, preference, feasibility, and the cultural appropriateness of the Zoom Video Conference Tool for the focus group on 3- and 5- point Likert style questions. An open textbox was included for respondents to share any other thoughts they had on their virtual focus group experience. Descriptive information (i.e., age, gender, MNO region) were also collected. The questions in the survey were selected collaboratively with MNO staff.

Results:

One hundred percent of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that they would participate in a virtual focus group in the future and 86% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that a virtual focus group was culturally appropriate for Métis health research. Additionally, 86% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that a virtual focus group was more feasible, however, only 56% of respondents strongly or somewhat disagreed that they would have preferred to participate in an in-person focus group. Only 57% of participants could see other participants all of the time and did not experience lag at any point while 74% could hear other participants all of the time. Fifty-one percent of participants felt they were able to connect with other participants in a meaningful way.

Conclusions:

The use of virtual focus groups for research with MNO citizens is acceptable if necessary, however issues with suitability, specifically technology and internet connectivity issues, can affect a participant’s ability to fully engage in the group. This information will help inform methods selection for future research work conducted in collaboration with the MNO.