Day Fourteen

So I guess my vacation has officially entered the working portion of the trip. This morning we had a small breakfast in our room and were picked up to go to the Chengdu CDC offices. We were met at the Chengdu CDC by its vice president, Dr. Jaw. VP Jaw led an hour and a half seminar on his division's work and specialty departments. He also discussed Chengdu's history, geography, and demographic information. At the end of the seminar we were able to ask questions about health issues in Chengdu as well as other related concerns.

After a brief tour of the Chengdu CDC's new building we came back to the hotel to change into more casual clothes for our focus group activity. When we got back we also exchanged into new rooms so that we could all have beds, ( at the same low price we were already paying). We grabbed some dumplings as appetizers from a street vendor before going to KFC for lunch.

When we got back the vans were there to greet us again. They drove us to a Chengdu high school the research department has been working with on a wellness program for high school students. I was given a translator, Maggie, and a Chinese student counterpart, Vivian, who is studying about Health Insurance for her undergrad. The high school student groups arrived around 3:30pm and we began our focus group promptly. In case you're wondering what the point of the focus group was I will explain.

The USC MPH research department, three years ago, developed an anti-tobacco and pro-mental health program to be implemented in high schools. The program was immediately implemented in Chengdu and other major cities in China. Unfortunately, some schools were unable to continue offering the program to students, however, others continue to offer the course to vocational students (they are given very little time aside from their rigorous studies to do these kinds of activities). The program emphasizes techniques for self improvement, stress management, and various tools for social development.

The purpose of our focus group was to survey and interview a small number of the kids involved in the study to find out what their opinions were on the program, (what parts they did or didn't like and any suggestions they may have). My group consisted of seven students. Their preferences and suggestions weren't too far from the answers we expected.

After the focus groups we came back to the hotel with the our Chinese student assistants for a short debriefing. Each group talked about unique points that were brought up in their groups. When we were done with our debriefing I worked on some travel stuff for the last part of my trip (Haikou, Hainan to Shanghai). Finally, I caught a late dinner at Pizza hut with our instructor's assistant Ann. I'm looking forward to another long day tomorrow. Night!