Behavioural Surveillance Surveys - The Wisdom of Whores

Informed consent
Confidentiality and informed consent are
important for all research subjects, but when
the subject of the research is an illegal or
stigmatized activity such as sex work, injecting
drug use, or illegal migration into another
country to work, the importance of protection
of privacy is magnified.
Behavioral surveys cannot take place
without the informed consent of the respondent.
Special efforts must be made to ensure that
the potential respondents understand their
rights and the risks involved, and that every
effort is made to ensure that the community
will benefit from the research. As discussed
earlier, involving the community in planning
and the dissemination of the research is one
way to do this. In addition, the interviewers
must be trained to inform people of the
purposes of the survey and request participant
consent in a factual and neutral manner. The
purpose of the survey should be explained
to the respondent, including the risks and
benefits, as well as the measures to ensure
confidentiality. The respondent should give
verbal consent to the interview, and the
interviewer should sign his/her name indicating
that verbal informed consent has been given.
Some respondents may refuse to participate
and in this situation interviewers should
respect the respondent’s rights, and thank
them for their time. To ensure confidentiality,
no identifiers should be recorded on the
respondent questionnaire.
Questionnaire administration
and interview settings
In situations where some members of the
sub-population of interest may be illiterate,
BSS data should be collected by a trained
interviewer who explains questions to the
respondent and records answers. Where all
respondents are literate and educated such as
with student populations, respondents may
record answers to questions themselves on an
anonymous written questionnaire, submitting
it to a data collection manager in a sealed
envelope so that it cannot be distinguished
from that of other respondents. Since the
respondent is not confronted with a face-to-face
interviewer who they fear may disapprove
of the behaviors they report, they may be
more honest with their answers to sensitive
questions. This may increase the validity of
self-reported behaviors.
With trained interviewers, it is nevertheless
important to conduct survey interviews in
settings where questions and answers cannot
be overheard by others and to engage in a
rapport-building conversation prior to asking
survey questions. This will reduce the
likelihood that respondents will give “socially
desirable” answers rather than telling the truth.
If a third person enters the room or is within
hearing distance, the interviewer should
explain that it is important to interview the
respondent alone.
B EHAV I OR A L S U R V EI L L A NC E SURV EY S CHAPTER 6
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