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NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH METHODS

Much NCEPH research is methodologically innovative, as well as contributing substantively to understanding and better addressing population health problems.

The innovations fall into three broad categories:

• quantitative research methods
• qualitative research methods, and
• integration and implementation research methods.

In addition to developing new methods or applying existing methods in new ways to population health problems, NCEPH research employs a wide range of standard epidemiological and other population health techniques, including randomised controlled trials, case-control analysis, structured and unstructured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation and analysis of documents and objects.

Our innovations in quantitative research methods include analyses for vaccine trials, approaches to spatial regression analysis of time series data, examination of determinants of episodic relapses on the background of a chronic disease, assessment of effectiveness of infectious disease interventions and multilevel modeling.

In terms of new qualitative research methods, we apply existing sociological theories in new ways to explain the genesis and persistence of social inequalities in health, as well as building theory and testable propositions using a grounded theory approach.

Finally integration and implementation sciences involves improving a) interdisciplinary knowledge, b) decision support, and c) change.

We are particularly interested in how research can be used to improve policy making.