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Activity Number:
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440
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Type:
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Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Wednesday, August 6, 2008 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Survey Research Methods
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| Abstract - #302654 |
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Title:
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Developing Statistical 'Twins' Methodology for Selecting Sites for Qualitative Case Studies
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Author(s):
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Zhiwei Zhang*+ and Fritz Scheuren
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Companies:
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National Opinion Research Center and The University of Chicago
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Address:
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4350 East West Hwy, Bethesda, MD, 20814,
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Keywords:
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survey methodology ; site selection ; case study ; similarity ; dissimilarity ; distance matrix
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Abstract:
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Site selections for qualitative substance abuse evaluation studies are usually constrained due to cost concerns not only by the limited number of sites selected but also by the casual and subjective method for selecting particular sites. A methodology aimed at identifying twin-counties with similar demographics yet different substance use and mental health profiles is developed. Social distance matrices are constructed to list the degrees of similarity among all possible pairs of counties within each state based on predetermined source variables. The distance matrices are obtained separately through socio-demographic characteristics and through the substance abuse, mental health and service coverage measures. Two ranking indexes are created and composite scales for ranking are established. The methodology is further assessed with qualitative case study result from multipaired twin sites.
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