The Ethnographic Accessing, Sampling and Screening of Hidden Populations: Heroin Sniffers in New York City

Abstract

This article discusses various ways in which ethnographic methods were employed in a cohort study of HIV risk and transitions to injecting among non-injecting heroin users (NIUs), or ‘sniffers’, in New York City. In preparation for and in conjunction with an epidemiologic questionnaire survey and biological specimen collection, ethnographic methods were used to explore the meaning of non-injecting and injecting routes of heroin administration for NIUs, how non-injecting heroin use was imbedded in the everyday life of the user, and the relationship of users to the retail markets for heroin. The study utilised different ethnographic techniques to access, sample, and screen heroin ‘sniffers’ for the epidemiologic survey. These techniques included ethnographic accessing, targeted canvassing, and interactive screening. The article concludes that ethnographic methods can be fruitfully integrated with epidemiologic survey research and are necessary for conducting research among non-institutionalised, ‘hidden’ populations of drug users.