Mixed Methods Studies in Health Promotion: A Case-Study Based on the Life Situations of Young People of Refugee Backgrounds in Germany

Marlen Niederberger,Meike Keller

doi:10.5772/intechopen.76711

Abstract

Mixed Methods Studies, which combine qualitative and quantitative research methods, are widely used across disciplines. However, in health promotion, quantitative methods dominate in most cases and qualitative methods are considered as an ‘add on’. By means of a Mixed Methods Study about the living situation of young people from refugee backgrounds, aged between 11 and 21 years, in an administrative district in Germany, in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are considered coequal, the issue of Mixed Methods Studies potential in health promotion is discussed. In this study, the perspectives of the young people from refugee backgrounds, their social workers from youth welfare office and local providers have been gathered. The young people from refugee backgrounds and their social workers have been consulted with a qualitative interview, whereas the local providers have been consulted in a standardised manner. The combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to analyse the living situation of young people from refugee backgrounds gives a holistic and comprehensive insight in social, cultural and structural frame conditions, social policy’s challenges as well as individual requirements. Such Mixed Methods Studies prove suitable for health-related research, especially when it comes to quickly changing structural conditions, a difficultly accessible target group and highly personal issues.

Highlights

Mixed Methods Studies—which combine qualitative and quantitative research methods—are being utilised in many different disciplines [1, 6, 8, 18, 21, 26]
On behalf of the administrative district of Göppingen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), a Mixed Methods Study was carried out in 2016/2017 into the life situations of young people from refugee backgrounds aged between 11 and 21 years old [5, 37]. This Mixed Methods Study looked into the views of young people from refugee backgrounds, their social workers from the youth welfare office and the providers of programmes and services in the administrative district
This study demonstrated that Mixed Methods Studies in which qualitative and quantitative studies are given equal weighting represent a suitable strategy for researching issues dealing with health promotion, especially with respect to sensitive subjects and difficulty to reach target groups

Summary

Introduction

Mixed Methods Studies—which combine qualitative and quantitative research methods—are being utilised in many different disciplines [1, 6, 8, 18, 21, 26]. The epistemological potential of Mixed Method Studies in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are combined with equal weighting is hardly ever considered or taken into account [25]. On behalf of the administrative district of Göppingen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), a Mixed Methods Study was carried out in 2016/2017 into the life situations of young people from refugee backgrounds aged between 11 and 21 years old [5, 37]. This Mixed Methods Study looked into the views of young people from refugee backgrounds, their social workers from the youth welfare office and the providers of programmes and services in the administrative district.

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion