Scenario5: There is much talk about the popularity of body piercing but little confirmation of who is getting pierced, why, where, etc. What would be your best way of determining this if you are the first researcher to try in your country?

Apart from conducting a literature search and securing a fat study budget, you could consider several options:

1) Interview people of all ages accessing registered body piercing shops/outlets: this will give you first hand experience but will exclude those piercing themselves or being pierced at unlicensed premises. Also would exclude those who have already been pierced so don’t need to go to the shops any more.

2)Stand in a busy street/shopping centre and approach every person you see body pierced. You may capture those pierced before today but will miss those with hidden piercing (not detectable under their clothes).

3)If your hypothesis is that piercing is more popular among alcohol or drug users, conduct interviews at the drug and alcohol clinics or needle exchange program outlets.

4) As popularity may have increased in younger age groups, you could try to reach minors at schools in various socio-economic groups and run a self administered or face-to-face questionnaire.

5) If your objective is to ascertain prevalence, you should go for a population survey (phone or personal interview). Make sure you define your timeframe, e.g. who has been pierced in the past year or in the past 5 years.

IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT, A COMBINATION OF METHODS WOULD GIVE YOU A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE.