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Focus groups (FGs) and individual interviews (IDIs) can be conducted in-person or in several different online contexts. We conducted a quasi-experimental study and assessed sharing of sensitive or dissenting information and participant comfort in FGs and IDIs across four modalities: (1) in-person, (2) online video-based, (3) online chat-based (synchronous), and (4) online email/message board-based (asynchronous). Participants were systematically assigned to one of the four modalities and randomized to one of 24 FGs or 48 IDIs ( N  = 171). The study topic was medical risk during pregnancy. All participants also completed a survey on their perceptions of the data collection process. We found no significant difference in the frequency of disclosure of sensitive information by modality. Text-based FGs (chat and message board) were more likely to contain dissenting opinions than visually-based FGs (in-person and video). Participants also reported feeling less rapport and personal comfort in sharing information in the FG video modality than other modalities. These findings provide initial data that can guide researchers in choosing among data collection modalities to maximize participant engagement and comfort., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Lab studies have shown that marijuana can severely impair driving skills. Epidemiological studies, however, have been inconclusive regarding the contribution of marijuana use to crash risk. In the United States, case-control studies based on the merging of comparable crash Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and non-crash National Roadside Survey (NRS) data have been applied to assess the contribution of drugs to crash risk, but these studies have yielded confusing, even contradictory results. We hypothesize that such a divergence of results emanates from limitations in the databases used in these studies, in particular that of the FARS. The goal of this effort is to examine this hypothesis, and in doing so, illuminate the pros and cons of using these databases for drugged-driving research efforts. We took advantage of two relatively recent cannabis crash risk studies that, despite using similar databases (the FARS and the NRS) and following similar overall approaches, yielded opposite results (Li, Brady, & Chen, 2013; Romano, Torres-Saavedra, Voas, & Lacey, 2014). By identifying methodological similarities and differences between these efforts, we assessed how the limitations of the FARS and NRS databases contributed to contradictory and biased results. Because of its limitations, we suggest that the FARS database should neither be used to examine trends in drug use nor to obtain precise risk estimates. However, under certain conditions (e.g., based on data from jurisdictions that routinely test for drugs, with as little variation in testing procedures as possible), the FARS database could be used to assess the contribution of drugs to fatal crash risk relative to other sources of risk such as alcohol.

This study explores which youth are more likely to have parties at home, what factors are associated with the presence of alcohol at parties, and who supplies the alcohol. We collected data in 2011 and 2012 through telephone interviews with 1,121 teens living in 50 mid-sized California cities. Overall, about a quarter of teens reported having had a party at their house in the past 12 months, of whom 39 % reported that there was alcohol at their last party. Multiple sources supplied alcohol for most parties. Seventy-two percent of those having a party stated that at least one of their parents knew about their last party, and 64 % reported that a parent was home at least part of the time. Seventy percent of youth who hosted a party with alcohol said that their parent(s) definitely knew that there was alcohol at the party, 24 % replied that their parent(s) probably knew, and only 5 % said that their parent(s) did not know that there was alcohol at the party. Logistic regression analyses indicated that youth with parents who host parties at home are themselves more likely to host parties at home. Having alcohol at a party was positively related to the age of the teen and the number of guests attending, and was negatively related to parents' awareness of the party. However, we found no relationship between whether a parent was at home at the time of the party and whether it included alcohol. These findings suggest that teens who have parties with alcohol at home have parents who know that there is alcohol at the party, even though only a small number of parents provided alcohol for the party.