Qualitative Research Methods in Chronic Disease: Introduction and Opportunities to Promote Health Equity

Public health research that addresses chronic disease has historically under-utilized and undervalued qualitative methods. This has limited the field's ability to advance (a) a more in-depth understanding of the factors and processes that shape health behaviors, (b) contextualized explanations of interventions' impacts (e.g., why and how something did or did not work for recipients and systems), and (c) opportunities for building and testing theories. We introduce frameworks and methodological approaches common to qualitative research, discuss how and when to apply them in order to advance health equity, and highlight relevant strengths and challenges. We provide an overview of data collection, sampling, and analysis for qualitative research, and we describe research questions that can be addressed by applying qualitative methods across the continuum of chronic disease research. Finally, we offer recommendations to promote the strategic application of rigorous qualitative methods, with an emphasis on priority areas to enhance health equity across the evidence generation continuum.

Automated summary

Historically, the use and value of qualitative research methods in public health research on chronic disease have been underestimated. This has limited the field's ability to gain a deeper understanding of health behaviors, explain the impacts of interventions, and develop and test theories. This article introduces frameworks and approaches for qualitative research, discusses their application in advancing health equity, and highlights strengths and challenges. It provides an overview of data collection, sampling, and analysis, and explores research questions that can be addressed using qualitative methods in chronic disease research. The article concludes with recommendations to strategically apply rigorous qualitative methods to enhance health equity across the evidence generation continuum.