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Patel, et al.

2.2. Primary Qualitative Study

2.2.1. Study design and settings

This study is mainly based on the primary data collected through a qualitative study. The study was conducted in three districts
(i.e., Jagatsinghpur, Nuapada, and Sundargarh) of Odisha, India from April 2017 to June 2017. The primary data on effects and
resilience to floods, cyclones, droughts, and heatwaves were collected from the community members at the panchayat level
(e.g., panchayat consists of a village or a group of villages divided into smaller units called “wards”), and different stakeholders
at the panchayat, block, district, and State Level in Odisha. For the study, one district highly vulnerable to cyclones/floods
(e.g., Jagatsinghpur), droughts (e.g., Nuapada), and heatwaves (e.g., Sundargarh) was randomly chosen from the list of respective
disaster-vulnerable districts of the state. In the second step, one highly vulnerable block was chosen purposively in each selected
district. In the third step, two rural panchayats were randomly chosen from the selected block in the selected district.

2.2.2. Study participants
The qualitative data were collected using in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussion (FGD) guidelines. Qualitative
data were collected among community members (i.e., farmers, women with children, young women (18-21 years), daily wage
laborers, older persons, and disabled individuals) using both IDI and FGD guidelines, and among stakeholders (i.e., panchayat
level, district emergency office, district medical office, and district agriculture department) using IDI guidelines. In addition,
government officials were interviewed using IDI guidelines at the state level (i.e., Odisha State Disaster Management
Authority, State Meteorological Department; State Agriculture Department; and State Directorate of Health). A total of 62
IDIs with different stakeholders and 6 FGDs with adult populations were conducted in the state. A detailed outline of the
qualitative interviews is given in Table 1. Issues explored during the data collection were: (i) Effect of natural disasters on:
Livelihood, food security, water and sanitation, health, and other socio-economic conditions; (ii) disaster resilience (coping
and adaptation strategies at the community level); and (iii) government measures on disaster management.

2.2.3. Ethical statement
Overall study design, study tools, and consent processes were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board
(IRB) of the Population Council in New York. Written consents were obtained from all participants before participation in
the IDIs and FGDs, and steps were taken to ensure their confidentiality. For this study, male or female adults aged 18 years
or older who had experience with or exposure to natural disasters or extreme weather events in their life were recruited
as participants, and the information was collected accordingly. No names and addresses were recorded. Participants were
not provided any compensation for their time in the study.
2.2.4. Data collection and analyses

Qualitative data for the study were collected by trained Population Council researchers. Interviews were audio-recorded
and conducted in the local language (Oriya), and then directly transcribed by the researcher into English. Qualitative data
analysis was done using ATLAS.ti (6.1 version) software and based on the themes; codes were prepared.

Table 1. Description of qualitative interviews conducted by districts, Odisha, 2017.
Qualitative interviews Districts
Sundargarh Nuapada Jagatsinghpur
FGDs (Total=6) – with adult community members (18+years) 2 2 2
1 with adult females in each district
1 with adult males in each district
IDIs (Total=62)
Community members at panchayat level 13 13 14
Stakeholders at panchayat level 2 2 2
Stakeholders at block/district level 4 4 4
Stakeholders at State Level (Total=4) - - -
Total IDIs at the district level 19 19 20
IDIs: In-depth interviews; FGD: Focus group discussion.

International Journal of Population Studies | 2020, Volume 6, Issue 1 5