Abstract
BackgroundEvidence on the effectiveness of postal recruitment methods for Indigenous peoples is lacking. Mayi Kuwayu, the National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing, uses multi-staged sampling. We aimed to test postal surveys as a primary recruitment method, analysing preliminary response rate data to inform the Study’s ongoing sampling approach.MethodsTwenty thousand adults aged ≥16 years were sampled from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enrolled in the Medicare Australia Enrolment Database. We calculated response rates at 4 and 15 weeks, overall and by age group, gender, state/territory and remoteness.ResultsThe overall response rate was 2.3% (n = 456/20000). Highest response rates were observed among males and females ≥50 years from major cities (6.0, 95%CI 4.4–7.9 and 5.5%, 4.1–7.2, respectively) and regional areas (6.0%, 4.6–7.6 and 6.2%, 4.9–7.7, respectively). Younger age groups and remote areas had lower response rates; all remote age groups < 50 years had a response rate ≤ 0.6%. While most participants responded on the paper surveys, online responses were more common among younger age groups and, respondents with higher education levels and whose first language was not English.ConclusionUsing a postal survey, we observed response rates of ≥5.5% among older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in major cities and regional areas; response rates were lower in other groups. A two-stage postal distribution approach provided an opportunity to adapt sampling approaches to different demographic groups. Based on initial response rates, the sampling strategy was revised to send postal surveys to groups with higher response rates groups and focus field recruitment strategies on low response groups.
Highlights
Evidence on the effectiveness of postal recruitment methods for Indigenous peoples is lacking
One participant was under the age of 16 years, seven participants were nonIndigenous and one participant completed the survey twice, the duplicate response and non-eligible participants were excluded from the analysis (465–9 = 456)
Updated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicare enrolment figures were provided by Department of Human Services (DHS) on 8 February 2019 to determine the strategy for distributing the remaining 180,000 postal surveys (Table 5). Based on these response rates and a revised postal sampling strategy, we estimated a return of 5900 postal surveys to the Mayi Kuwayu Study, forming the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cohort to date
Summary
Evidence on the effectiveness of postal recruitment methods for Indigenous peoples is lacking. In Australia, established Indigenous cohort studies (including: Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study [7], Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children [8], Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health [9], Talking about the Smokes [10], Antecedents of Renal Disease in Aboriginal Children, Generation Youth Wellbeing Study [11]) have used field recruitment to sample from known populations in particular urban, regional, and remote areas These field-based sampling approaches use purposive or strata-sampling with local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander data collectors who are employed or supported by partner Indigenous services. The faceto-face approach facilitates multiple options for completion of a survey, including self-completion; completion through interview; and, use of interpreters
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