| dc.description.abstract | Internationally, there is a drive for equality in health care
for ethnic groups. To achieve equality, produce sound
policies, and provide appropriately targeted services good
quality data are essential. Where data are based upon self
report, especially from non-English speakers, there are
major barriers to the accumulation of reliable and valid
information. When data collection instruments designed for
English speakers are simply translated into ethnic minority
languages, measurement error can result from inadequate
translation procedures, inappropriate content, insensitivity
of items, and the failure of researchers to make themselves
familiar with cultural norms and beliefs. More attention
should be paid to conceptual and cultural factors especially
in epidemiological and clinical studies where self report is
used to gather data. More interdisciplinary collaboration is
necessary as well as a modification of customary methods
of data collection and the assumptions behind them. The
essence of such modifications entails participatory research
with members of the linguistic communities concerned | en |
