Qualitative environmental health research: an analysis of the literature, 1991-2008

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

doi:10.1590/s1413-81232011001100030

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…23 A community-engaged approach, which involves the inclusion of community members as partners in all stages of the research, 24 can be effective in identifying and minimizing health effects related to environmental exposures by building capacity, resources, and skill sets within communities. 25–27 A community-engaged framework also bridges the gap between academic institutions and communities to allay misconceptions, fears, or suspicions. 25 Each partner contributes unique skills and knowledge to the project to initiate sustainable, effective change that is relevant to the communities’ health needs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying environmental health priorities in underserved populations: a study of rural versus urban communities

Bernhard

Evans²,

Kent

et al. 2013

Public Health

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Objectives Understanding and effectively addressing persistent health disparities in minority communities requires a clear picture of members’ concerns and priorities. This study was intended to engage residents in urban and rural communities in order to identify environmental health priorities. Specific emphasis was placed on how the communities defined the term environment, their perceptions of environmental exposures as affecting their health, specific priorities in their communities, and differences in urban versus rural populations. Study design A community-engaged approach was used to develop and implement focus groups and compare environmental health priorities in urban versus rural communities. Methods A total of eight focus groups were conducted: four in rural and four in urban communities. Topics included defining the term environment, how the environment may affect health, and environmental priorities within their communities, using both open discussion and a predefined list. Data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to identify patterns and trends. Results There were important areas of overlap in priorities between urban and rural communities; both emphasized the importance of the social environment and shared a concern over air pollution from industrial sources. In contrast, for urban focus groups, abandoned houses and their social and physical sequelae were a high priority while concerns about adequate sewer and water services and road maintenance were high priorities in rural communities. Conclusions This study was able to identify environmental health priorities in urban versus rural minority communities. In contrast to some previous risk perception research, the results of this study suggest prioritization of tangible, known risks in everyday life instead of rare, disaster-related events, even in communities that have recently experienced devastating damage from tornadoes. The findings can help inform future efforts to study, understand and effectively address environmental issues, and are particularly relevant to developing effective community-based strategies in vulnerable populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying environmental health priorities in underserved populations: a study of rural versus urban communities

Bernhard

Evans²,

Kent

et al. 2013

Public Health

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“…For example, social scientists, specifically medical sociologists and environmental sociologists who have had a long tradition of successful collaboration with community organizations and/or activists, brought new solutions, partnerships and collaborations to mitigate the financial impacts of living in a contaminated community (Senier et al 2008). Scammell (2010) investigated the use of qualitative data in environmental exposures and human health studies to determine whether collaborative efforts between environmental health and social scientists led to an increased understanding of exposures and environmental health outcomes. Scammell observed that 70 out of the 91 articles included multiple authors and from three or more institutions or disciplines within a university and concluded that qualitative data has the potential to improve our understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health and health outcomes (Scammell 2010).…”

Section: 0 Environmental Research Translationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scammell (2010) investigated the use of qualitative data in environmental exposures and human health studies to determine whether collaborative efforts between environmental health and social scientists led to an increased understanding of exposures and environmental health outcomes. Scammell observed that 70 out of the 91 articles included multiple authors and from three or more institutions or disciplines within a university and concluded that qualitative data has the potential to improve our understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health and health outcomes (Scammell 2010). …”

Section: 0 Environmental Research Translationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Research Translation: Enhancing interactions with communities at contaminated sites

Ramírez‐Andreotta

Brusseau

Artiola

et al. 2014

Science of The Total Environment

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The characterization and remediation of contaminated sites are complex endeavors fraught with numerous challenges. One particular challenge that is receiving increased attention is the development and encouragement of full participation by communities and community members affected by a given site in all facets of decision-making. Many disciplines have been grappling with the challenges associated with environmental and risk communication, public participation in environmental data generation, and decision-making and increasing community capacity. The concepts and methods developed by these disciplines are reviewed, with a focus on their relevance to the specific dynamics associated with environmental contamination sites. The contributions of these disciplines are then synthesized and integrated to help develop Environmental Research Translation (ERT), a proposed framework for environmental scientists to promote interaction and communication among involved parties at contaminated sites. This holistic approach is rooted in public participation approaches to science, which includes: a transdisciplinary team, effective collaboration, information transfer, public participation in environmental projects, and a cultural model of risk communication. Although there are challenges associated with the implementation of ERT, it is anticipated that application of this proposed translational science method could promote more robust community participation at contaminated sites.

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“…However, the bulky nature of qualitative data should be seen as a strong point, because such data is more informative, richer and offers a deeper understanding of the problem than quantitative data (Shamai, 2003;Shank and Villella, 2004;Tewksbury, 2009). This is because it allows the voice of participants to be heard (Scammell, 2010) which is fundamental in solving practical problems using applied research. Moreover, this discussion agrees with Miles and Huberman (1994) who assert that words, especially organized into incidents or stories, have a concrete, vivid, meaningful flavour that often proves far more convincing than pages of summarized numbers.…”

Section: Analysis Of the Pathologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Sandelowski and Barroso (2002), Ryan et al (2007), and Roth and Mehta (2008) qualitative research does not regard truth as objective, but as a subjective reality that is experienced differently by each individual. This explains why qualitative researchers assume that human behavior is always bound to the context in which it occurs (Merriam, 2009;Scammell, 2010) and therefore, behaviour must be studied holistically rather than being manipulated (Perone and Tucker, 2003). Subjective meanings have to be attached to the scientific enquiry (Krefting, 1991), because reality is ultimately subjective (Broom and Wills, 2007).…”

Section: Rationale For Interpretivism In Healthcare Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving the qualitative-quantitative debate in healthcare research

Turyahikayo¹

2014

Med. Pract. Rev.

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This article was set out to examine the allegations labeled against qualitative research by quantitative researchers. The allegations were that: it is subjective, difficult to replicate in healthcare, and this amounts to little more than anecdote, personal impression or conjecture. In attempting to resolve the allegations, this article relied on extensive literature review and examined evidence that has been put forth in support of qualitative research approach in healthcare. The article also examined the benefits and pathologies of quantitative and qualitative approaches. It is revealed that although each of the two approaches has its own strengths and weaknesses, none can ably offer practical solutions to challenges of validity and reliability in healthcare research. To mitigate such challenges, the paper rests on the use of mixed methods/triangulation so as to neutralize pathologies inherent in each approach. It is recommended that the use of triangulation should be founded on the strong basis of pragmatism. Method integration should be done skillfully and cautiously, because validity and reliability of its findings may not be guaranteed due to its susceptibility to the ontological and epistemological positions of the researcher. The paper concludes that any attempt to resolve this debate creates even more discussions and finds this third paradigm inadequate in some research circumstances. This implies that the debate is far from over.

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Qualitative environmental health research: an analysis of the literature, 1991-2008

Abstract: Resumo Pesquisa qualitativa usa dados não numéricos para entender opiniões, motivos e cren-

Cited by 6 publications

References 97 publications

Identifying environmental health priorities in underserved populations: a study of rural versus urban communities

Identifying environmental health priorities in underserved populations: a study of rural versus urban communities

Environmental Research Translation: Enhancing interactions with communities at contaminated sites

Resolving the qualitative-quantitative debate in healthcare research

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