Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Winter;71 Suppl 1(0 1):S69-79.
doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00241.x.

Qualitative methods to ensure acceptability of behavioral and social interventions to the target population

Guadalupe X Ayala  1 , John P Elder
Affiliations

Qualitative methods to ensure acceptability of behavioral and social interventions to the target population

Guadalupe X Ayala et al. J Public Health Dent. 2011 Winter.

Abstract

Objectives: This paper introduces qualitative methods for assessing the acceptability of an intervention.

Methods: Acceptability refers to determining how well an intervention will be received by the target population and the extent to which the new intervention or its might meet the needs of the target population an d organizational setting. In this paper, we focus on two common qualitative methods for conducting acceptability research and their advantages and disadvantages: focus groups and interviews.

Results: We provide examples from our own research and other studies to demonstrate the use of these methods for conducting acceptability research and how one might adapt this approach for oral health research.

Discussion: We present emerging methods for conducting acceptability research, including the use of community-based participatory research, as well as the utility of conducting acceptability research for assessing the appropriateness of measures in intervention research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Abelson AG. Managing students with behavior disorders: Perceived efficacy of interventions. Psychological Reports. 1997;80(3 Pt 2):1167–1170. - PubMed
    1. Ayala GX, Elder JP, Campbell NR, Engelberg M, Olson S, Moreno C, Serrano V. Nutrition communication for a Latino community: Formative research foundations. Family and Community Health. 2001;24(3):72–87. - PubMed
    1. Ayala GX, Ibarra L, Arredondo E, Horton L, Hernandez E, Parada H, Slymen D, Rock C, Engelberg M, Elder JP. Promoting healthy eating by strengthening family relations: The Entre Familia: Reflejos de Salud intervention. In: Elk R, editor. Cancer Disparities: Causes and Evidence-Based Solutions. Springer; (in press)
    1. Ayala GX, Laraia B, Kepka D, Ornelas I. Evidence supporting tiendas as a setting for health promotion: Characteristics of tiendas and tienda managers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association; Philadelphia, PA. 2005b.
    1. Ayala GX, Maty S, Cravey A, Webb L. Mapping social and environmental influences on health: A community perspective. In: Israel, et al., editors. Multiple methods for conducting community-based participatory research for health. 2005a. pp. 188–209.

Publication types