Using Secondary Data in Public Health Minority Research: The Pros, Cons, and Processes

Background:

Nurses often sense that there are public health issues related to a minority populations within their community, state, or region, motivating them to find solutions to resolve these problems. Interventions can be costly and securing the necessary funding is key to success. Funding organizations may be more likely to consider supporting programs when they are presented with research results that indicate an issue exists. Acquiring the necessary data can be time intensive and expensive; particularly if extensive amounts of data are required to support a proposal. One solution to the data acquisition challenges is the use of “secondary data,” which is data collected by others. Secondary minority health data are readily accessible through online databases, which are frequently underutilized due to limited awareness or skills.

Methods:

The goal of this presentation is to increase nursing researchers' understanding of benefits and limitations of using secondary data. Attendees will be introduced to some applicable minority health databases, followed by a brief review of previously performed research using secondary data. Suggestions will be offered regarding statistical software to use in analysis and techniques for acquiring, preparing, and evaluating data.

This presentation will encourage audience participation. Attendees will be asked to contribute their ideas for possible resources and projects. Finally, recommendations and examples of statistical analysis of data will be presented.

Results:

Participants will have increased awareness of secondary databases and data analysis available to conduct minority health research. A discussion of the pros and cons of these data sources will provide a foundation for considering secondary data for future investigations. In addition, the presentation of conceptual and procedural information will provide a comprehensive introduction to the use of secondary data in minority health research.

Conclusions:

Secondary databases are a growing source of information available for minority public health research that are frequently overlooked by nurses conducting research. This presentation will provide a foundation for researchers to utilize secondary data to conduct research that increases understanding of public health issues. Increasing awareness and understanding though the use of secondary data can strengthen public health nurses' advancement of interventional programs with minority populations.