Lecture Notes
Lecture 1: How qualitative research can be used to understand and
address contemporary health problems? (Olga Zvonareva)
Public Health is especially interested in research that provides evidence-based policy
interventions.
The type of research (eg. qualitative or quantitative) depends on the research question.
There is no ‘perfect’ or ‘best’ method for every research.
Qualitative research:
Asks the “What?”, “How?” and “Why?” questions rather than “How many?” or “How
much?”
Focus on the complex relations between:
o Personal and social meanings
o Individual and cultural practices
o The material environment or context
Wants to understand a phenomena rather than measure it; consider the
perspectives and experiences of people who live it
Uses primarily language or words as the data
Phenomena: attitudes, behaviours, concepts, policies at a range of levels, from individual
perceptions through to that of how global systems work.
Prepare for surprises: adolescents with lengthy hospitalisations for TB experienced the most
severe impact on their mental health from the loss of personal relationships or rejection
from peers due to TB diagnosis, not from the lengthy hospitalisation stay.
Understanding complex/puzzling situations: Behavioural risk factors explain 90% of coronary
heart disease cases and secondary prevention programs can benefit patients, but fewer
,than 66% of patients use these services (particularly elderly, women, low-income and
minority citizens).
Evaluating interventions: we tend to evaluate using RCTs, but these only answer questions
about effectiveness (does it work?). Public Health needs to understand much more – how
does it work? How is it perceived by those it’s intended for? Are there unintended
consequences? (E.g. mosquito nets being used as fishing nets)
Asking critical questions: Why do certain phenomena become seen as ‘problems’?
Sonagachi project: Support for sex workers in Kolkata, India
Project focused on condom distribution, free clinic services etc (largely quantitative)
Qualitative research identified bigger problems, such as inability to open a bank
account and problems with the police
The results were very context specific and had minimal transferability
Orientations (Characteristics) of Qualitative Research:
Naturalism:
A preference for studying phenomena in their ‘natural’ or everyday environment
o Hawthorne found we are likely to behave differently while being studied than
when not (Hawthorne effect)
Focus of naturalisation research:
o Rich, detailed, empathetic accounts of social worlds
o Theoretical analysis
Reflexivity:
Researchers should also subject their own research practice to critical analysis by:
o Reflecting critically on the research itself
o Considering the role of the researcher in generating and analysing their data
A Focus on Meaning & Understanding:
Researcher’s aim is to understand perspectives and points of view of the participants
in the study
Choices people make are sensible; only constraints, priorities and rationale need to
be understood
Thus, the best qualitative research seeks to identify what people do know, how they
maintain their health, and what the underlying rationality of their behaviour is
Flexible research strategies:
In qualitative studies, it is common to have a flexible research strategy which can be
adapted as early data are produced and analysed
The degree of flexibility required depends on:
o The demands of the study
o The perspective of the researcher
, Qualitative research is the meat on the bones of studying a phenomena. Quantitative
research gives you the bone, but qualitative is the ‘meaty’ context.
Lecture 1: How qualitative research can be used to understand and
address contemporary health problems? (Olga Zvonareva)
Public Health is especially interested in research that provides evidence-based policy
interventions.
The type of research (eg. qualitative or quantitative) depends on the research question.
There is no ‘perfect’ or ‘best’ method for every research.
Qualitative research:
Asks the “What?”, “How?” and “Why?” questions rather than “How many?” or “How
much?”
Focus on the complex relations between:
o Personal and social meanings
o Individual and cultural practices
o The material environment or context
Wants to understand a phenomena rather than measure it; consider the
perspectives and experiences of people who live it
Uses primarily language or words as the data
Phenomena: attitudes, behaviours, concepts, policies at a range of levels, from individual
perceptions through to that of how global systems work.
Prepare for surprises: adolescents with lengthy hospitalisations for TB experienced the most
severe impact on their mental health from the loss of personal relationships or rejection
from peers due to TB diagnosis, not from the lengthy hospitalisation stay.
Understanding complex/puzzling situations: Behavioural risk factors explain 90% of coronary
heart disease cases and secondary prevention programs can benefit patients, but fewer
,than 66% of patients use these services (particularly elderly, women, low-income and
minority citizens).
Evaluating interventions: we tend to evaluate using RCTs, but these only answer questions
about effectiveness (does it work?). Public Health needs to understand much more – how
does it work? How is it perceived by those it’s intended for? Are there unintended
consequences? (E.g. mosquito nets being used as fishing nets)
Asking critical questions: Why do certain phenomena become seen as ‘problems’?
Sonagachi project: Support for sex workers in Kolkata, India
Project focused on condom distribution, free clinic services etc (largely quantitative)
Qualitative research identified bigger problems, such as inability to open a bank
account and problems with the police
The results were very context specific and had minimal transferability
Orientations (Characteristics) of Qualitative Research:
Naturalism:
A preference for studying phenomena in their ‘natural’ or everyday environment
o Hawthorne found we are likely to behave differently while being studied than
when not (Hawthorne effect)
Focus of naturalisation research:
o Rich, detailed, empathetic accounts of social worlds
o Theoretical analysis
Reflexivity:
Researchers should also subject their own research practice to critical analysis by:
o Reflecting critically on the research itself
o Considering the role of the researcher in generating and analysing their data
A Focus on Meaning & Understanding:
Researcher’s aim is to understand perspectives and points of view of the participants
in the study
Choices people make are sensible; only constraints, priorities and rationale need to
be understood
Thus, the best qualitative research seeks to identify what people do know, how they
maintain their health, and what the underlying rationality of their behaviour is
Flexible research strategies:
In qualitative studies, it is common to have a flexible research strategy which can be
adapted as early data are produced and analysed
The degree of flexibility required depends on:
o The demands of the study
o The perspective of the researcher
, Qualitative research is the meat on the bones of studying a phenomena. Quantitative
research gives you the bone, but qualitative is the ‘meaty’ context.
