The DeRouen Center has been working on an NIH D71 Planning Grant in Kenya. In February, 2022, a group of researchers including Ana Lucia Seminario, Arthur Kemoli, Immaculate Opondo, Matthew Saxton, and Sara Stanley traveled to four sites in Kenya to meet with stakeholders in oral health and HIV research. During these in-person and zoom meetings we asked stakeholders a series of questions surrounding oral health and HIV, research, and institutional capacity.
These interviews were analyzed by a team in the University of Washington’s Information School, led by Dr. Matthew Saxton. The team of 9 reviewers each analyzed 1 transcript while free-coding the text. Transcripts were chosen randomly from among the 17 interviews. Reviewers were instructed to capture and utilize the terms or phrases generated by the informants themselves.
Prior to beginning the free coding, reviewers took part in a training workshop that used sample responses from multiple transcripts. Coding was conducted at the question response level, but each response could have more than one code. The free coding phase of the analysis resulted in 457 unique codes, with many duplicates across transcripts.
The team then performed an iterative grouping analysis where each code was typed on a virtual “post-it” note in a collaborative online whiteboard environment (MIRO). Typically, the researchers would conduct this type of exercise in a face-to-face setting, but the need for isolation during pandemic conditions made it challenging to gather physically in a safe manner. Based on this analysis, a series of word clouds were generated that looks at the most relevant issues within each category including motivation, obstacles, research, and support:
The research team led by Dr. Ana Lucia Seminario will be submitting an NIH D43 grant which will provide training pathways to increase oral health and HIV research in Kenya.