Qualitative research in nutrition and dietetics: Data collection issues

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Volumn 24, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 3-12

  Draper, A ^a   Swift, J A ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Data collection; Dietetics; Food; Nutrition; Purposive sampling; Qualitative research; Reflexivity

Indexed keywords

DIETETICS; EPIDEMIOLOGY; HUMAN; INFORMATION PROCESSING; MEDICAL RESEARCH; METHODOLOGY; REVIEW; STANDARD;

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH; DATA COLLECTION; DIETETICS; HUMANS; RESEARCH DESIGN; SELECTION BIAS;

EID: 78650179869     PISSN: 09523871     EISSN: 1365277X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01117.x     Document Type: Review

References (66)

1. Ashworth, P. (2008) The origins of qualitative psychology. In Qualitative Psychology. A practical guide to research methods. ed J. A. Smith, pp. 4-24. London: Sage Publications.
2. Basu, A.J. & Hogard, E. (2008) Fit for public consumption? An exploratory study of the reporting of nutrition research in UK tabloids with regard to its accuracy, and a preliminary investigation of public attitudes towards it Public Health Nutr. 11, 1124-1131.
3. Beltman, S. & Voet, S. (2007) Exploring the complex and dynamic nature of sustained motivation. Eur. Psychol. 12, 314-323.
4. Bishop, L. (2007) A reflexive account of reusing qualitative data: beyond primary/secondary dualism. Sociol. Res. Online 12, Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
5. Bradbury-Jones, C. (2007) Enhancing rigour in qualitative health research: exploring subjectivity through Peshkin's I's. J. Adv. Nurs. 59, 290-298.
6. Broom, A., Cheshire, L. & Emmison, M. (2009) Qualitative researchers' understandings of their practice and the implications for data archiving and sharing. Sociology 43, 1163-1180.
7. Carter, S.M. & Little, M. (2007) Justifying knowledge, justifying method, taking action: epistemologies, methodologies, and methods in qualitative research. Qual. Health Res. 17, 1316-1328.
8. Cole, T.J., Bellizzi, M.C., Flegal, K.M. & Dietz, W. (2000) Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. Br. Med. J. 320, 1240-1243.
9. Cook, K. & Nunkoosing, K. (2008) Maintaining dignity and managing stigma in the interview encounter: the challenge of paid-for participation. Qual. Health Res. 18, 418-427.
10. Coyne, I.T. (1997) Sampling in qualitative research. Purposeful and theoretical sampling; merging or clear boundaries? J. Adv. Nurs. 26, 623-630.
11. Craig, G., Corden, A. & Thornton, P. (2001) A Code of Safety for Social Researchers. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
12. Department of Health (2006) Reward and Recognition: The Principles and Practice of Service User Payment and Reimbursement in Health and Social Care. A Guide for Service Providers, Service Users and Carers. London: Department of Health.
13. Dew, K. (2007) A health researcher's guide to qualitative methodologies. Aust. NZ J. Pub. Health 31, 433-437.
14. Dicks, B. (2007). Methodological Issues in Qualitative Data Sharing and Archiving: Full Research Report. ESRC End of Award Report, RES-346-25-3010. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
15. Douglas, M. (1975) Deciphering a meal. In Implicit Meanings: Essays in Anthropology. ed. M. Douglas, pp. 249-275. London: Routledge and Paul.
16. Douglas, M. & Nicod, N. (1974) Taking the biscuit: the structure of British meals. New Soc. 30, 744-747.
17. Draper, A. (2004) The principles and application of qualitative research. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 63, 641-646.
18. Evans, A., Elford, J. & Wiggins, D. (2007) Using the Internet for Qualitative Research. In The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology. eds C. Willig & W. Stainton-Rogers, pp. 315-333. London: Sage Publications.
19. Fade, S.A. (2004) Using interpretative phenomenological analysis for public health nutrition and dietetic research: a practical guide. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 63, 647-653.
20. Fade, S.A. & Swift, J.A. (2010) Qualitative research in nutrition and dietetics: data analysis issues. J. Hum. Nutr. Diet., in press. doi.
21. Flowers, P. (2008) Temporal tales: the use of multiple interviews with the same participant. Qual. Methods Psychol. News Lett. 5, 24-27. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
22. Gibbs, L., Kealy, M., Willis, K., Green, J., Welch, N. & Daly, J. (2007) What have sampling and data collection got to do with good qualitative research? Aust. NZ J. Publ. Health 31, 540-544.
23. Glaser, B. (1992) Basics of Grounded Theory Analysis. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.
24. Green, J. & Thorogood, N. (2004) Qualitative Methods for Health Research. London: Sage Publications.
25. Green, J., Draper, A.K. & Dowler, E. (2003) Short cuts to safety: risk and 'rules of thumb' in accounts of food choice. Health Risk Soc. 5, 33-52.
26. Gronhoj, A. & Olander, F. (2007) A gender perspective on environmentally related family consumption. J. Consum. Stud. 6, 218-235.
27. Guest, G., Bunce, A. & Johnson, L. (2006) How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods 18, 5-82.
28. Head, E. (2009) The ethics and implications of paying participants in qualitative research. Int. J. Soc. Res. Method 12, 335-344.
29. Hellawell, D. (2006) Inside-out- analysis of the insider-outsider concept as a heuristic device to develop reflexivity in students doing qualitative research. Teach. High. Educ. 11, 483-494.
30. Henderson, S. (2007) Negotiating the Long View: Archiving, Representing and Sharing a Qualitative Longitudinal Resource: Full research report. ESRC End of Award Report, RES-346-25-3014. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
31. Hewitt, J. (2007) Ethical components of researcher-researched relationship in qualitative interviewing. Qual. Health Res. 17, 1149-1159.
32. Holloway, I. (1997) Basic Concepts in Qualitative Research. Oxford: Blackwell Science.
33. Hudelson, P. (1994) Qualitative Research for Health Programmes. MNH/PSF/94.3. Geneva: Division of Mental Health, World Health Organization. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
34. Kitzinger, J. (1994) The methodology of focus groups: the importance of interaction between research participants. Sociol. Health Illn. 16, 103-121.
35. Kitzinger, J. (1995) Introducing focus groups. Br. Med. J. 311, 299-302.
36. Krueger, R. & Casey, M. (2000) Focus groups: a practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
37. Lawson, J., Ahmad, N., Hanna, L., Douglas, M., Bains, H. & Hallowell, N. (2008) 'We should change ourselves, but we can't': accounts of food and eating practices amongst British Pakistanis and Indians with type 2 diabetes. Ethn. Health 13, 305-319.
38. Lofland, J. & Lofland, L.H. (1995) Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
39. Luck, A.M. & Rose, M.L. (2007) Interviewing people with aphasia: insights into method adjustments from a pilot study. Aphasiology 21, 208-224.
40. Malacrida, C. (2007) Reflexive journaling on emotional research topics: ethical issues for team researchers. Qual. Health Res. 17, 1329-1339.
41. Malinowski, B. (1922, reprinted 1961) Argonauts of the Western Pacific. New York, NY: E.P. Dutton & Co.
42. Marshall, M.N. (1996) Sampling for qualitative research. Fam. Pract. 13, 522-525.
43. Martens, L. & Scott, S. (2006) Under the kitchen surface: domestic products and conflicting constructions of home. Home Cultures 3, 39-62.
44. Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching. 2nd edn. London: Sage Publications.
45. Mercado-Martinez, F.J. & Ramos-Herrera, I.M. (2002) Diabetes: the layperson's theories of causality. Qual. Health Res. 12, 792-806.
46. Minichiello, V., Aroni, R. & Hays, T. (2008) In-depth Interviewing. 3rd edn. Melborne: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
47. Murray, S.A., Boyd, K., Kendall, M., Worth, A., Benton, T.F. & Clausen, H. (2002) Dying of lung cancer or cardiac failure: prospective qualitative interview study of patients and their carers in the community. Br. Med. J. 325, 929-933.
48. Patton, M.Q. (2002) Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. 3rd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
49. Pilnick, A. & Swift, J.A. (2010) Qualitative research in nutrition and dietetics: assessing quality. J. Hum. Nutr. Diet., in press. doi.
50. Reavey, P. & Johnson, K. (2007) Visual approaches: using and interpreting images. In The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology. eds C. Willig & W. Stainton-Rogers, pp. 296-314. London: Sage Publications.
51. Reventlow, A. & Tulinius, C. (2005) The doctor as focus group moderation - shifting roles and negotiating positions in health research. Fam. Pract. 22, 335-340.
52. Robson, C. (1993) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner Researchers, 1st edn. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
53. Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner Researchers, 2nd edn. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
54. Rosenhan, D.L. (1973) On being sane in insane places. Science 179, 250-258.
55. Ross, S. (1995) 'Do I really have to eat that?': a study of school children's food preferences. Health Educ. J. 54, 312-321.
56. Sandelowski, M. (1995) Sample size in qualitative research. Res. Nurs. Health 18, 179-183.
57. Smith, J.A., Flowers, P. & Larkin, M. (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Theory, Method and Research. London: Sage Publications.
58. Sobal, J. (2001) Sample Extensiveness in Qualitative Nutrition Education Research. J. Nutr. Educ. 33, 184-192.
59. Stein, A., Woolley, H., Cooper, A.D. & Fairburn, C.G. (2006) An observational study of mothers with eating disorders and their infants. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 35, 733-748.
60. Stone, L. & Campbell, J.G. (1984) The use and misuse of surveys in international development: an experiment from Nepal. Hum. Organ. 43, 27-37.
61. Swift, J.A. & Tischler, V. (2010) Qualitative research in nutrition and dietetics: getting started. J. Hum. Nutr. Diet., in press. doi.
62. Trochim, W.M. (2006) The Research Methods Knowledge Base, 2nd edn. Available at (accessed on 25 March 2010).
63. Whitehead, L.C. (2007) Methodological and ethical issues in Internet-mediated research in the field of health: An integrated review of the literature. Soc. Sci. Med. 65, 782-791.
64. Willig, C. (2008) Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology: Adventure in Theory and Method. 2nd edn. Buckingham: Open University Press.
65. Wu, H.L. & Volker, D.L. (2009) The use of theory in qualitative approaches to research: application in end-of-life studies. J. Adv. Nurs. 65, 2719-2732.
66. Yardley, L. (2006) From 'mixed methods' to 'composite analysis': Pragmatic approaches to methodological triangulation. Showcasing Qualitative Psychology Seminar, University of Nottingham, 19 June, 2006. Unpublished.