Qualitative Research with an Understudied Population: In-Depth Interviews with Women of Mexican Descent

Community-based qualitative research offers advantages for study of populations that are understudied and not well understood, but qualitative methodology presents major challenges. This article examines some of these challenges, illustrated by a study of pregnancy and childbearing among women of Mexican descent. Issues addressed in this article include culture and gender relevance, access to the population, representativeness, skilled interviewers, trust with research informants, effective in-depth interviews, and data analysis. Practical applications and implications for theory building are discussed.