Importance of Native Language in a Population-based Health Survey Among Ethnic Chinese in Australia

Overview

Journal Aust N Z J Public Health

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Public Health

Date 2008 Sep 11

PMID 18782393

Citations 9

Authors

Kam Cheong Wong

Zhiqiang Wang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impacts of survey languages on participation and representativeness of the study subjects in a health survey in a Chinese community in Australia.

Method: A random sample of 500 ethnic Chinese in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia was surveyed during November 2005 to February 2006 by using a bilingual survey questionnaire in their preferred languages, i.e. English or Chinese.

Results: 210 questionnaires were returned. Two-thirds of the participants chose to answer the questionnaires in Chinese. Besides being older with relatively lower income, they were more likely to be married, have a Chinese family doctor, and visit a Chinese medicine practitioner. Fewer of them have visited the Diabetes Australia website or read any educational information materials about diabetes.

Conclusions & Implication: The multilingual approach is crucial to improving participation and representativeness of samples from ethnic populations.

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