Comparing sampling strategies to recruit migrants for an epidemiological study. Results from a German feasibility study

Abstract

Register-based recruitment should use a combination of name, nationality and country of birth in order not to be limited to identifying persons with a foreign nationality. However, according to the study staff, the community-oriented approach involving key persons of the same cultural background leads to a better acceptance by the participants. Also, it covers a more heterogeneous group. Yet, it is time-consuming and needs considerably more staff. Further research should establish the effectiveness of a combination of both strategies.

Anti-nuclear autoantibodies in the general German population: prevalence and lack of association with selected cardiovascular and metabolic disorders—findings of a multicenter population-based study

“…Population-based sampling was used to recruit participants, and therefore samples were drawn from population registries of the respective municipalities. In addition, in two study centers (Essen and Heidelberg), selected migrant populations were recruited using register and community-based approaches [13]. The latter included recruitment via social networks (e.g., in groceries frequented by migrants, mosques or general practitioners’ offices).…”

“…The latter included recruitment via social networks (e.g., in groceries frequented by migrants, mosques or general practitioners’ offices). The study population in Essen comprised individuals of Turkish origin only; in Heidelberg, in addition to nonmigrant individuals, recruitment included the two largest migrant population groups—that is, individuals of Turkish origin and ethnic German immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU resettlers) [13]. In both study centers, bilingual study documents (e.g., flyers, posters, questionnaires, etc.)…”

Perceived ethnic discrimination, acculturation, and psychological distress in women of Turkish origin in Germany

“…membership to a specific group, are asked to provide contacts of other members of their group [37]. The combination of random sampling with network sampling was chosen because register-based recruitment approaches alone have shown comparatively low acceptance and participation rates in migrants in Germany [38]. The random sample was drawn from the population registry of Berlin including women aged 18-75 years residing in Berlin at the time of the study.…”

Beteiligung von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund an Gesundheitssurveys des Robert Koch-Instituts

“…Darüber hinaus nehmen Personen aus bestimmten Herkunftsländern seltener teil [11,[33][34][35]. Für Deutschland trifft das, in Übereinstimmung mit den DEGS 1-Ergebnissen, insbesondere für Menschen mit türkischem Migrationshintergrund zu [31,36]. In einer anderen Studie aus Deutschland zeigte sich analog zu unseren Ergebnissen eine geringere Teilnahme niedrig qualifizierter Ausländerinnen und Ausländer sowie von Personen mit kurzer Aufenthaltsdauer [35].…”