Qualitative Research as a Means to Accessing Medium Risk Groups for Surveys on HIV/STI Infection in Urban Mali

Sarah Castle, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Enias Baganezi, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Caroline Ryan, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Flabou Bougoudogo, National Public Health Research Institute, Mali
Ellen MacLachlan, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Kathy A. Parker, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Pamina Gorbach, University of California, Los Angeles

In order to construct clusters for the ISBS in Mali which comprised a demographic, behavioural and bio-medical survey of medium risk groups, qualitative research was carried out to explore the organisation and dynamics of the groups in question. Those chosen to represent those supposedly at medium risk were domestic servants, ambulatory vendors at bus stations and ticket touts. Despite all three groups appearing very marginal, mobile and disorganised, in-depth interview and focus group discussions revealed that there was an apparent order within each of them which could be used to construct clusters needed for the survey. The ISBS findings subsequently indicated that the medium risk groups in fact had a higher prevalence of STIs and HIV than some of the groups that were categorised ‘a priori’ as high risk. It is concluded that the a-priori labelling of groups as ‘high’ and ‘medium’ risk may be misleading.