Problems of focus group methods in cross-cultural research: a case study of beliefs about sudden infant death syndrome

Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in using focus group methods in public health research. Focus group discussions have become particularly popular, in part because they are commonly perceived to be a less time-consuming and less expensive way of collecting qualitative data than the more traditional ethnographic methods. However, little attention has been given to methodological issues when the focus group method is applied in cross-cultural settings. This paper discusses a number of these concerns, illustrated through the use of the focus groups to explore mothers' beliefs about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in an ethnically diverse sample in Victoria. We found that some methodological difficulties were related to cultural factors. This has led us to use caution when considering the use of focused group discussions as a research method in cross-cultural contexts. We urge public health researchers to take a critical look at the appropriateness of focus groups before applying this method in cross-cultural public health research.