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Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study
Contraception 80 (2009) 591–592
Letters to the Editor
Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study To the Editor: I read with great interest the article titled: “Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study” [1]. The authors conducted a qualitative study through indepth interviews of twenty 20-year-old girls from eastern Glasgow area of Scotland. The study focused on the reported use of emergency contraceptive and experiences of unprotected sex. They found that emergency contraception still remains an important backup contraceptive and should continue to be widely available, and that with high levels of unprotected sex, nonuse of emergency contraception and unintended pregnancies, further efforts are required to improve the sexual and reproductive outcomes of disadvantaged young women [1]. Although steps involved in the research process were included, insufficient detail of the qualitative methodology was evident. The interview process and data analysis were not explained clearly or documented sufficiently. Interviews were referred to as “in-depth,” while analysis was simply called “framework analysis” in the article. Framework analysis among other things could be grounded, systematic, dynamic or comprehensive [2]. Gathering information in qualitative research is one of the most important ways of showing rigor in a study [3], and it is important to document who the interviewee were, as well as what “indepth” meant in the research (structured, semi-structured or unstructured). Such details obviously provide great credibility and dependability to a research and its findings [4]. There was no acknowledgement of limitations to this study, which is important especially in qualitative studies where a researcher is a part of the study (e.g., gathering data, coding, interpretation, themes). The findings of this study are important in helping scientists, program developers and policy makers assist adolescents, especially the underserved or disadvantaged, to appreciate the science of emergency contraception and provide them with knowledge of pregnancy risks. In order to support the work in our field, it is critical that 0010-7824/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
researchers and the journals in which they disseminate findings provide adequate documentation of the methods used in studies. Sunny Onyeabor Center of Excellence for Sexual Health Scholar Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr, SW Atlanta, GA 30310, USA E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2009.05.129 References [1] Williamson LM, Buston K, Sweeting H. Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study. Contraception 2009;79:310–5. [2] Bryman A. Analyzing qualitative data. New York: Taylor and Francis Group; 2002. p. 4. [3] Cohen DJ, Crabtree BJ. Evaluation criteria for qualitative research in health care: controversies and recommendation. Ann Fam Med 2008;6: 331–9. [4] Tobin GA, Begley CM. Methodological rigor within a qualitative framework. J Adv Nurs 2004;48:388–96.
Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study — authors' reply To the Editor: We thank Dr. Onyekachi for their interest in our article and desire for further methodological detail [1]. In an article that was already longer than the journal's recommended page limit, we strove to balance the description of the methodology with adequate detail in the results (including presentation of data in the form of quotes) and discussion, also essential for demonstrating rigor [2]. Full details of the study methodology are included in the associated doctoral thesis (free full text available at http:// theses.gla.ac.uk/164/) [3]. The “in-depth” interviews, all of which were conducted by the first author, followed a semistructured topic guide.
Letters to the Editor
Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study To the Editor: I read with great interest the article titled: “Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study” [1]. The authors conducted a qualitative study through indepth interviews of twenty 20-year-old girls from eastern Glasgow area of Scotland. The study focused on the reported use of emergency contraceptive and experiences of unprotected sex. They found that emergency contraception still remains an important backup contraceptive and should continue to be widely available, and that with high levels of unprotected sex, nonuse of emergency contraception and unintended pregnancies, further efforts are required to improve the sexual and reproductive outcomes of disadvantaged young women [1]. Although steps involved in the research process were included, insufficient detail of the qualitative methodology was evident. The interview process and data analysis were not explained clearly or documented sufficiently. Interviews were referred to as “in-depth,” while analysis was simply called “framework analysis” in the article. Framework analysis among other things could be grounded, systematic, dynamic or comprehensive [2]. Gathering information in qualitative research is one of the most important ways of showing rigor in a study [3], and it is important to document who the interviewee were, as well as what “indepth” meant in the research (structured, semi-structured or unstructured). Such details obviously provide great credibility and dependability to a research and its findings [4]. There was no acknowledgement of limitations to this study, which is important especially in qualitative studies where a researcher is a part of the study (e.g., gathering data, coding, interpretation, themes). The findings of this study are important in helping scientists, program developers and policy makers assist adolescents, especially the underserved or disadvantaged, to appreciate the science of emergency contraception and provide them with knowledge of pregnancy risks. In order to support the work in our field, it is critical that 0010-7824/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
researchers and the journals in which they disseminate findings provide adequate documentation of the methods used in studies. Sunny Onyeabor Center of Excellence for Sexual Health Scholar Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr, SW Atlanta, GA 30310, USA E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2009.05.129 References [1] Williamson LM, Buston K, Sweeting H. Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study. Contraception 2009;79:310–5. [2] Bryman A. Analyzing qualitative data. New York: Taylor and Francis Group; 2002. p. 4. [3] Cohen DJ, Crabtree BJ. Evaluation criteria for qualitative research in health care: controversies and recommendation. Ann Fam Med 2008;6: 331–9. [4] Tobin GA, Begley CM. Methodological rigor within a qualitative framework. J Adv Nurs 2004;48:388–96.
Young women's perceptions of pregnancy risk and use of emergency contraception: findings from a qualitative study — authors' reply To the Editor: We thank Dr. Onyekachi for their interest in our article and desire for further methodological detail [1]. In an article that was already longer than the journal's recommended page limit, we strove to balance the description of the methodology with adequate detail in the results (including presentation of data in the form of quotes) and discussion, also essential for demonstrating rigor [2]. Full details of the study methodology are included in the associated doctoral thesis (free full text available at http:// theses.gla.ac.uk/164/) [3]. The “in-depth” interviews, all of which were conducted by the first author, followed a semistructured topic guide.