Online Program

Accessing, Engaging and Surveying a Cambodian Community in the U.S.

*Judy Perlman, RAND Survey Research Group 
Suzanne Perry, RAND Survey Research Group 

Keywords: Immigrant, Khmer, Tracking and Locating

This presentation discusses the building blocks of developing a representative sample of Cambodian refugees who lived through the Khmer Rouge era and considers the challenges and circumstances faced in locating and re-interviewing respondents in a follow-up study of these same immigrants six years later. The initial study was conducted from 2003-2005 with a random sample of 526 adults aged 35 to 75 years who lived in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge reign and immigrated to the United States prior to 1993. Although Long Beach is quite large, the Cambodian community comprises only about 4% of the total population of Long Beach. We will discuss a novel methodology for efficiently listing, screening and identifying households for the initial study. We will also summarize methods and techniques used to track and locate respondents and discuss cultural and community considerations, including collection of health measurements and biomarkers.