The use of focus group methodology Ð with selected examples from sexual health research Nicola Robinson BSc PhD MFPHM Reader in Sexual Health and HIV Studies, Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Studies, Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences, Thames Valley University, 32±38 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London W5 2BS, England. E-mail: nicky.robinson@tvu.ac.uk Accepted for publication 1 May 1998 ROBINSON N. (1999) Journal of Advanced Nursing 29(4), 905±913 The use of focus group methodology Ð with selected examples from sexual health research This paper describes in detail the use of the focus group approach in research. The following issues are discussed: when, why and how focus group methods are used, their advantages and disadvantages and how data are analysed. Selected examples from four research studies on sexual health using this methodology are reported together with some of the problems experienced with their use. The importance of using focus groups in qualitative research is addressed and an argument is suggested for their more general use. Keywords: focus group methodology, sexual health INTRODUCTION De®ning focus groups A focus group can be de®ned as an in-depth, open-ended group discussion of 1±2 hours' duration that explores a speci®c set of issues on a prede®ned and limited topic. Such groups consist typically of between ®ve to eight participants and are convened under the guidance of a facilitator. The application of focus groups Focus group methodology was originally developed on the basis that many consumer decisions are made in a social context and often as a result of discussions with others. Market researchers began using focus groups in the 1920s as a method of gathering accurate informa- tion about product preferences (Bogardus 1926; Basch 1987). The classic work on focus group interviews written by Merton in 1956 and entitled `The focused interview' examined peoples' reactions to wartime propaganda. In response to the consumer movement, health care organizations have become increasingly interested in obtaining direct feedback through face to face contacts with people using their products and services. Focus groups are a direct method of obtaining rich information within a social context. In the past, investigators have questioned the ability of the health care consumer to evaluate the quality of care and whether this introduces bias into research (Beaudin 1996). However, as a result of the National Health Service (NHS) reforms, more and more providers are being asked to quantify the quality and outcomes of the care they deliver while empowering the consumer. As a result focus groups have been used in a variety of health care settings; for example, de®ning objectives and standardized mea- sures of hospital quality by registered nurses and devel- oping health surveys to assess the effectiveness of educational programs on health behaviours (O'Brien 1993b, Rudolph & Hill 1994). They have also been used to examine public attitudes on illness and health behav- iours (Basch 1987, Khan & Manderson 1992, Kitzinger 1993, Duke et al. 1994, Ritchie et al. 1994), peoples' experience of disease and of health services (Gregory & Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1999, 29(4), 905±913 Methodological issues in nursing research Ó 1999 Blackwell Science Ltd 905