Media and Digital Technologies for Mixed Methods Research in Public Health Emergencies Such as COVID-19: Lessons Learned From Using Interactive Radio–SMS for Social Research in Somalia (2021) 

Riha, J., Abreu Lopes, C., Ibrahim, N. and Srinivasan, S. (2021) ‘Media and digital technologies for mixed methods research in public health emergencies such as COVID-19: lessons learned from using interactive Radio–SMS for social research in Somalia’, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 15 (3), pp. 304–326. 

Radio shows which invite audience participation via short message service (SMS)—interactive radio–SMS—can be designed as a mixed methods approach for applied social research during COVID-19 and other crises in low and middle income countries. In the aftermath of a cholera outbreak in Somalia, this article illustrates how this method provides social insights that would have been missed if a purely qualitative or quantitative approach were used. The authors then examine the strengths and limitations associated with interactive radio–SMS through an evaluation using a multimethod comparison. Their research contributes an application of a mixed methods approach which addresses a specific challenge raised by COVID-19, namely utilizing media and digital technologies for social research in low and middle income countries.