Table 3.

Key considerations from our focus group study

Study design	• Which communities need to be included in the research and why? • How heterogeneous are these groups (e.g. in terms of cultures, religions, languages, age, education, generation, migration history)? • Which organisations / individuals can advise throughout the study on ethics, access, recruitment, methods, topic guide and dissemination?
Research team	• Composition of team, including researchers, community and patient partners, and support staff with relevant language and cultural competency skills • Gender - will we need male and female researchers and community facilitators? • Any training needs?
Institutional procedures	• Check institutional procedures including policies on ethics, translation of materials, and payments to participants
Costs	• Staff, including those with linguistic and cultural skills • Participant incentives • Translation and transcription • Room hire • Transport and childcare costs • Sufficient time to build relationships, recruit, translate transcripts
Building relationships	• Contact and visit relevant organisations, support groups, individuals, community centres and places of worship to start building trust and relationships as early as possible • Involve and inform relevant organisations / individuals throughout the study • Invite community organisations and partners to participate in dissemination activities
Ethics and informed consent	• Verbal, audio or written consent? • Do forms need to be translated into South Asian languages and piloted before use? • Forms need to be as clear, accessible and as short as possible • Who will explain and take consent?
Recruitment	• Use a range of strategies and sources. This could include local and national Asian TV and radio stations • Does the sample reflect the diversity within and across communities?
Venue	• How easy is the venue for participants to access? • Transport costs to and from venue
Focus groups	• How many focus groups will need to be conducted? • Have all relevant communities been included? • Size of groups – smaller groups of around 5–7 participants worked best • Timing – avoid religious festivities and Ramadan; be aware of childcare responsibilities and shift work • Mixed or single-sex groups? • Older and younger participants together or separate? • How will confidentiality be discussed and ensured? • Flexibility - participants may arrive late or leave early due to other responsibilities. Be prepared that there may be more or fewer participants on the day than expected
Translation and transcription	• Who will do this? • If using community facilitators, what are the strengths and limitations of this? • If using a professional translation agency, how long will they take and how much will it cost? Strengths and limitations?
Analysis / interpretations	• Involve staff with cultural and linguistic knowledge and skills • Consider presenting findings to participants for feedback
Reflexivity, power and acknowledgement	• How are the data shaped by various stakeholders? • What can we do to minimise power differentials? • How will all contributors be acknowledged?
Dissemination	• How will the findings be communicated to stakeholders, including patients and public? • How can community and patient partners be involved in dissemination? • Can we make use of local and national Asian TV and radio stations as avenues for communicating the findings? • Invite community and patient partners to co-author papers and present at conferences