HIAT SECTION 3 CASE STUDIES: DESIGNING AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH SENSITIVE TO INEQUALITIES

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Mapping the factors shaping experience and impacts of place stigma

This case study highlights the benefits of mapping the potential aspects of social inequalities that could be relevant to the topic you are interested in and describes some of the approaches that can be used.

How to conduct a participatory systematic review and what are the potential challenges

This case study shows how a systematic review project can be informed by an iterative process with participation of people with lived experience on the topic.

Intersectionality and chronic disease inequalities

This programme of research illustrates how an intersectional lens can be applied to diverse sources of secondary data to reveal previously hidden dimensions of inequality; how secondary sources can illuminate the intersection between biological markers of ill health and structural drivers of inequality.  This team are also developing innovative ways to disseminate their findings working with policy makers and other stakeholders to explore the policy and practice implications.

Understanding the Impact of Institutionalised Racism to Vaccine Hesitancy

This case study raises an important question of hoinstitutionalised racism might have impacted vaccine hesitancy – confidence, convenience, and complacency – to black and white communities differently.

Exploring structural drivers of unequal health outcomes: measuring the health impact of austerity using secondary data sources

This case study illustrates how research can explore potential structural drivers of unequal experiences/outcomes when not readily available in secondary data sources.

Applying an equity lens to the measurement and social distribution of a particular health issue: which groups (defined by social categories) are obese?

This case study reveals the benefits of careful consideration of the equity dimensions of the topic you wish to study including approaches to measurement and illustrates the implications of context mapping for question formulation, study design, analysis and policy/practice recommendations.

Designing and conducting intersectional research: How to avoid an ‘additive’ approach

This case study warns against using social categories, such as race, ethnicity, and sex, as additive variables.

Understanding how intersectional disparities in sexual orientation and ethnicity had unexpected impact on the use of Papanicolaou (Pap) tests in the US

The work of Magina Agénor illustrates the importance of integrating intersecting dimensions of inequalities in research questions. It also shows options for exploring structural drivers of unequal experiences when relevant data are not available in secondary data sources.

Integrating structural drivers of health inequalities into the prevention of non-communicable diseases

This case study is an opinion piece. It demonstrates the value of integrating a focus on wider structural determinants in the construction of questions and the design of research evaluating behavioural or lifestyle public health interventions.

An intersectional inequalities perspective of interpreter-mediated health care encounters

This qualitative study illustrates how the application of an intersectional lens to the analyses of qualitative data can reveal limitations of health care interventions that aim to improve access to care.

A theory-led framework to strengthen the focus on socio-economic inequalities in health within systematic reviews

This case study describes the development of a framework that can be used to develop equity sensitive programme theories that in turn will shape the design and conduct of systematic reviews resulting in findings that have greater potential to influence action to reduce socio- inequalities in health.

Addressing racial inequity and antiracism as determinants of health inequalities: an antiracism lens on research design, conduct and dissemination

This case study highlights the importance of applying an antiracism lens to research.   It includes discussion of study design and dissemination and has a strong focus on the role of community engagement as co-creators of research.

Randomised Controlled Trials and Health Equity

This is a case study of two linked papers. The first describes the development and validation of a conceptual framework for identifying ‘health-equity relevant’ RCTs that provide evidence about the distributional effects of interventions. The second paper offers an assessment of the reporting of equity considerations in RCTs identified as ‘health-equity relevant’ and identifies a range of limitations. Both papers offer a set of recommendations to improve the design and reporting of randomised trials to support equity-relevant policy and practice.