The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #42568

Krista J. Stewart, PhD, Joanne Jeffers, Jacob A. Adetunji, PhD, and Sara Pacque-Margolis. Office of Population, USAID, GH/POP/P&E, Room 03-6-45 RRB, Washington, DC 20523

USAID has been a sponsor of cross-nationally comparable population and health data collection over the past 30 years. For most of those years, these data collection programs were primarily based on structured interviews with consenting adults, which presented few or no complex ethical problems. However, in recent years, increasing demand for more detailed data needed for monitoring and evaluating population and health programs has led to the collection of biomarkers and geographical information systems (GIS) data. The collection and storage of these new data have raised issues that demand careful ethical review and procedures. Particular issues that have arisen include ensuring fully-informed consent; ensuring privacy when working with linked and unlinked data and making provisions for follow-up, counseling and/or treatment of the survey population when necessary. These issues become even more complex when one is supporting the data collection and not doing it. In such situations, what should a donor do? In this paper, specific examples of ethical dilemmas encountered in the field, particularly as they relate to collection of serum samples for HIV, syphilis, and anemia testing, for vitamin A screening and the handling of geo-referenced data are presented and discussed. Steps taken to resolve these complex ethical issues are presented and discussed. Specific illustrations and data are from projects under the MEASURE results package - a multi-year multi-million dollar results package working in Africa, Asia, Latin America/Caribbean and Eastern Europe. The implications of the results for future collection of survey and census data in developing countries are drawn.

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this presentations, participants in the session will be able to
• Appreciate and list some of the complexities involved in following Western ethical protocols in non-literate and semi-literate populations of developing regions;
• State two countries where ethical dilemmas were encountered and how they were resolved;
• Recommend ways to improve the observance of ethical procedures in developing countries.

Keywords: Ethics, Developing Countries

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.