Conducting mobile phone interviews with women in Tanzania: lessons from the MAISHA COVID-19 IPV study

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide. This made it difficult for face-to-face data collection in ongoing research studies. Hence, innovative data collection methods are critical to avoid interruptions in critical research studies with vulnerable population to inform interventions and policy. The study was nested in the MAISHA cohort, a four-wave longitudinal study of 445 women on intimate partner violence in Mwanza, Tanzania. Objective(s) To explore the impact of COVID-19 on women's physical, psychological, and economic well-being. We also investigated their experiences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Method(s) We conducted 18 phone based in-depth interviews with purposively sampled women. The interviews were audio-recorded and transferred to computers for analysis. In addition, we conducted longitudinal phone-based interviews with 445 women using a structured questionnaire. 443 (97%) of the women were re-interviewed after 3 months. Result(s) Participants reported no different experience of being interviewed by phone compared with face-to-face interviews. They were free to report sensitive information including their experience of COVID-19, IPV, and relationships with their intimate partners. The phone interview methodology was considered more private and time efficient. Interview lasted for 30-40 minutes. The method has additional advantages as it is reduces research costs from travel and ensures safety of both researchers and study participants. Challenges included audibility, unstable network, and unreachable phones. Conclusion(s) It is feasible to conduct mixed methods phone interviews in the Tanzanian setting. Researchers should explore using this method frequently to conduct longitudinal studies in the country. Training of research teams is crucial for the successful use of such methods.