Abstract
Internationally, wheelchair users are an emerging demographic phenomenon, due to their increased prevalence and rapidly increasing life-span. While having significant healthcare implications, basic robust epidemiological information about wheelchair users is often lacking due, in part, to this population's 'hidden' nature. Increasingly popular in epidemiological research, Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) provides a mechanism for generating unbiased population-based estimates for hard-to-reach populations, overcoming biases inherent within other sampling methods. This paper reports the first published study to employ RDS amongst wheelchair users. Between October 2015 and January 2016, a short, successfully piloted, internet-based national survey was initiated. Twenty seeds from diverse organisations were invited to complete the survey then circulate it to peers within their networks following a well-defined protocol. A predetermined reminder protocol was triggered when seeds or their peers failed to respond. All participants were entered into a draw for an iPad. Overall, 19 people participated (nine women); 12 initial seeds, followed by seven second-wave participants arising from four seeds . Completion time for the survey ranged between 7 and 36 minutes. Despite repeated reminders, no further people were recruited. While New Zealand wheelchair user numbers are unknown, an estimated 14% of people have physical impairments that limited mobility. The 19 respondents generated from adopting the RDS methodology here thus represents a negligible fraction of wheelchair users in New Zealand, and an insufficient number to ensure equilibrium required for unbiased analyses. While successful in other hard-to-reach populations, applying RDS methodology to wheelchair users requires further consideration. Formative research exploring areas of network characteristics, acceptability of RDS, appropriate incentive options, and seed selection amongst wheelchair users is needed.
Highlights
Robust epidemiological research generally requires data collection from representative samples of the population of interest, and effective modes of sampling contact are essential[1]
This paper reported the failure of Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to survey wheelchair users
Despite the unsuccessful recruitment in this study, further research exploring the application of RDS with wheelchair users is recommended before discounting this sampling approach in this population
Summary
Robust epidemiological research generally requires data collection from representative samples of the population of interest, and effective modes of sampling contact are essential[1]. RDS requires that recruitment chains are traceable (via recruitment codes), that participants can provide an estimate of their network size (the number of people a person knows in the target population), and that participant’s recruit randomly from their networks[4]. If these RDS assumptions are met, at some point sampling will reach a state of equilibrium, and useable unbiased data – independent from the initial seeds – can be gleaned. Popular in epidemiological research, Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) provides a mechanism for generating unbiased population-based estimates for hard-to-reach populations, overcoming biases inherent within other sampling methods. This paper reports the first published study to employ RDS amongst wheelchair users.
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