Browsing by Subject "Social research"
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- ItemOpen AccessBuilding the field of health policy and systems research: social science matters(Public Library of Science, 2011) Gilson, Lucy; Hanson, Kara; Sheikh, Kabir; Agyepong, Irene Akua; Ssengooba, Freddie; Bennett, SaraThe first paper in this series on building the field of Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1] outlined the scope and questions of the field and highlighted the key challenges and opportunities it is currently facing. This paper examines more closely one key challenge, the risk of disciplinary capture - the imposition of a particular knowledge frame on the field, privileging some questions and methodologies above others. In HPSR the risk of disciplinary capture can be seen in the current methodological critique of the field, with consequences for its status and development (especially when expressed by research leaders). The main criticisms are reported to be: that the context specificity of the research makes generalisation from its findings difficult; lack of sufficiently clear conclusions for policy makers; and questionable quality and rigour [2]. Some critique is certainly warranted and has come from HPS researchers themselves. However, this critique also reflects a clash of knowledge paradigms, between some of those with clinical, biomedical, and epidemiological backgrounds and those with social science backgrounds. Yet, as HPSR is defined by the topics and questions it considers rather than a particular disciplinary approach, it requires engagement across disciplines; indeed, understanding the complexity of health policy and systems demands multi- and inter-disciplinary inquiry [3].
- ItemOpen AccessExperience of Violence and Socioeconomic Position in South Africa: A National Study(Public Library of Science, 2007) Doolan, Katherine; Ehrlich, Rodney; Myer, LandonBACKGROUND: Violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in South Africa and needs to be researched from a public health perspective. Typically in violence research, socioeconomic position is used in the analysis to control for confounding. Social epidemiology approaches this variable as a primary determinant of interest and is used in this research to better understand the aetiology of violence in South Africa. We hypothesised that measures of socioeconomic position (employment, education and household wealth) would be inversely related to violence at the individual and household levels. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Data came from the1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS). Measures of socioeconomic position used were employment, education and household wealth. Eighty-eight people (0.2%) received treatment for a violent injury in the previous 30 days and 103 households (0.9%) experienced a violent death in the previous year. Risk factors for violence at the individual level included employment (41% of those who experienced violence were employed vs. 27% of those who did not, p = 0.02), and education (those who experienced violence had on average, one year more education than those who did not, p = 0.04). Belonging to a household in the wealthiest quintile was protective against violence (OR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.12-0.89). In contrast, at the household level all three measures of socioeconomic position were protective against the experience of a violent death. The only association to persist in the multivariate analysis was that between the wealth of the household and violence at the individual level. Conclusions/Significance Our hypothesis was supported if household wealth was used as the measure of socioeconomic position at the individual level. While more research is needed to inform the conflicting results observed between the individual and household levels, this analysis has begun to identify the disparities across the socioeconomic structure with respect to violent outcomes.
- ItemOpen AccessPriorities for research on equity and health: towards an equity-focused health research agenda(Public Library of Science, 2011) Östlin, Piroska; Schrecker, Ted; Sadana, Ritu; Bonnefoy, Josiane; Gilson, Lucy; Hertzman, Clyde; Kelly, Michael P; Kjellstrom, Tord; Labonté, Ronald; Lundberg, OlleA 2009 World Health Assembly resolution on reducing health inequities through action on social determinants of health [1] calls for stakeholders, including researchers and research funders, to give this topic high priority. In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) established a Task Force on Research Priorities to outline a global research agenda on equity and social determinants of health. Its 2005 report [2] contributed to the selection of themes for nine Knowledge Networks set up by WHO to support the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) during 2005–2008. CSDH defined health equity as the absence of systematic differences in health, between and within countries, that are avoidable by reasonable action. Using health equity as the foundation of its approach, CSDH concluded [3] that "[s]ocial injustice is killing people on a grand scale" and made three overarching recommendations: improve people's daily living conditions; tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources; and measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. CSDH emphasized that knowledge gaps must not be used as a reason for postponing action on the ample body of evidence already available, but also highlighted the need for ongoing research with a focus on social determinants of health and health equity.
- ItemOpen AccessTranslational research for tuberculosis elimination: priorities, challenges, and actions(Public Library of Science, 2016) Lienhardt, Christian; Lönnroth, Knut; Menzies, Dick; Balasegaram, Manica; Chakaya, Jeremiah; Cobelens, Frank; Cohn, Jennifer; Denkinger, Claudia M; Evans, Thomas G; Källenius, Gunilla; Kaplan, Gilla; Kumar, Ajay M V; Matthiessen, Line; Mgone, Charles S; Mizrahi, Valerie; Mukadi, Ya-diul; Nguyen, Viet Nhung; Nordström, Anders; Sizemore, Christine F; Spigelman, Melvin; Squire, S Bertel; Swaminathan, Soumya; Helden, Paul D Van; Zumla, Alimuddin; Weyer, Karin; Weil, Diana; Raviglione, MarioChristian Lienhardt and colleagues describe the research efforts needed to end the global tuberculosis epidemic by 2035.
- ItemOpen AccessUsing qualitative evidence in decision making for health and social interventions: an approach to assess confidence in findings from qualitative evidence syntheses (GRADE-CERQual)(Public Library of Science, 2015) Lewin, Simon; Glenton, Claire; Munthe-Kaas, Heather; Carlsen, Benedicte; Colvin, Christopher J; Gülmezoglu, Metin; Noyes, Jane; Booth, Andrew; Garside, Ruth; Rashidian, ArashSimon Lewin and colleagues present a methodology for increasing transparency and confidence in qualitative research synthesis.