The CHI Study - Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), La Trobe University, Melbourne.
The CHI Study – Easy and Anonymous
Initial Findings
Initial findings from the CHI Study have confirmed that discrimination remains a significant challenge for people living with hepatitis C.
Over fifty percent of people who completed the CHI Study reported they had experienced negative reactions or less favourable treatment as a result of people knowing about their hepatitis C status. Most commonly, this negative treatment was in the form of being offered a different level of care (60%), friends or associates acting differently (43%) or negative reactions from a family member (25%).
However, the story is not all bad news; many reported experiencing positive reactions resulting from people knowing about their hepatitis infection. Some of the most commonly reported positive reactions included a larger support network through contact with hepatitis services (53%), increased closeness with family and friends (45%), and a greater understanding in relationships with friends (43%).
These findings suggest that discrimination is one of the major challenges faced by people living with hepatitis C, thus reinforcing the need for guaranteed anonymity in regards to studies, health services, and places of employment. At the same time, it brings to light the issue of disclosure, and the issue faced with making decisions about this aspect of living with hepatitis C.
The CHI Study is ANONYMOUS
Participation in the CHI Study is completely anonymous. The study is conducted entirely online. All that is required to participate is a valid email address – the advantage being that an email address does not have to contain any reference to your name or any identifying details. Even so, the email address is only required in order to remind you when follow up surveys are available. This is usually about every six months. Email addresses are not linked to your responses in any way.
The CHI Study is EASY
Feedback from people whom have contacted us in regards to the CHI Study has generally reported the CHI study as easy to complete. The study is simple to understand, does not require complex medical histories, yet there is opportunity to report about such aspects in as much or as little detail as you would like. Additionally, it is not compulsory to answer any question that you don’t want to. If the survey makes you uncomfortable in any way, you can simply stop and move to the next section. There is no penalty for stopping the survey.
The CHI Study is QUICK
People who have done the survey have also told us that the CHI study does not take long. The initial study can be done in about twenty minutes – follow up surveys even less, some in as little as two minutes! It is not hard, nor time consuming to participate, yet the information that is obtained is so valuable to people living with hep C. The information you provide in the survey will help build a better community and government response to hepatitis C.
CALL TO ACTION!!!
We can understand why people can be hesitant about completing studies, but we need you to participate. We want to be able to continually update the community living with hep C about findings from the study. Most importantly, we want to be able to use this information to advocate on your behalf, to governments, community organisations and health providers, for better conditions, opportunities and outcomes for people living with hepatitis C.
To join the study, or just to find out more, go to www.chistudy.org.au