research topics in public health pdf

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What are the trending topics in Public Health and related disciplines?

You can identify some of the most discussed and influential topics with the help of Altmetric attention scores, which take into account several outlets including social media, news articles, and policy documents.

Drawing from a selection of Public Health and Medicine journals, we have compiled a list of the articles that have been mentioned the most over the past few months.

Discover the articles that are trending right now, and catch up on current topics in Public Health and related disciplines. We will update our collection every few weeks; come back to this page to be on top of the latest conversations in Public Health and Medicine. Previously featured articles are listed here .

You can also sign up for e-alerts to make sure you never miss the latest research from our journals.

*Last updated October 2021*

Age and Ageing

Alcohol and alcoholism, american journal of epidemiology, annals of work exposures and health, epidemiologic reviews, european journal of public health, family practice, health education research, health policy and planning, health promotion international, international health, international journal of epidemiology, international journal for quality in health care, journal of public health, journal of travel medicine, journal of tropical pediatrics, nicotine & tobacco research, transactions of the royal society of tropical medicine & hygiene, behaviour change interventions to increase physical activity in hospitalised patients: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

There is moderate-certainty evidence that behaviour change interventions are associated with increased physical activity levels among older hospitalised patients.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Alcohol and Other Substance Use Disorders in Young Adulthood: Findings from a Canadian Nationally Representative Survey

This study from Canada found that one in three young adults with ADHD had a lifetime alcohol use disorder, and that young adults with ADHD were also three times more likely to develop a substance use disorder. Targeted outreach and interventions for this extremely vulnerable population are warranted.

Expiring Eviction Moratoriums and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality

According to this study, resuming evictions in summer 2020 was associated with increased COVID-19 incidence and mortality in US states, with an estimated 433,700 excess cases and 10,700 excess deaths. Explore more research on COVID-19 in a curated collection from the AJE: https://academic.oup.com/aje/pages/covid-19

The Development of a Covid-19 Control Measures Risk Matrix for Occupational Hygiene Protective Measures

The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) developed a control banding matrix for employers and others to help assess the risks of COVID-19 infection, and calls for further work to validate the reliability of the tool. Browse the Annals' collection on occupational hygiene for virus protection: https://academic.oup.com/annweh/pages/covid-19 

Immunization to Protect the US Armed Forces: Heritage, Current Practice, and Prospects

In 1777, George Washington ordered a mandatory inoculation program for his troops, in what would become the first mass immunization mandate in the US. This archival article discussess and contextualizes immunization practices for US Armed Forces.

Does face mask use elicit risk-compensation? Quasi-experimental evidence from Denmark during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Responding to concerns that that face mask use could elicit a false sense of security and lead to riskier behaviours, this study from Denmark found that mask use overall correlated positively with protective behaviours.

Evidence reversals in primary care research: a study of randomized controlled trials

While medical practice is often undermined by subsequent investigation, randomized trials relevant to primary care generally hold up over time.

Social media influencers can be used to deliver positive information about the flu vaccine: findings from a multi-year study

This study shows the potential for using social media influencers to inspire positive engagements on pro-vaccine health messaging. For more content on accurate information's importance for public health, browse the latest article collection from HER: https://academic.oup.com/her/pages/covid-19

COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plans from 106 countries: a review from a health systems resilience perspective

Current emergency response planning does not have adequate coverage to maintain health systems functionality for essential health service delivery alongside emergency-specific interventions and healthcare. The findings from this study can help align health emergency planning with broader population health needs.

Rise and demise: a case study of public health nutrition in Queensland, Australia, over three decades

This case study shows that that ongoing efforts are needed to improve sustainability of nutrition policy and programmes to address all diet-related diseases.

Institutional and behaviour-change interventions to support COVID-19 public health measures: a review by the Lancet Commission Task Force on public health measures to suppress the pandemic

This review article outlines evidence for a range of institutional measures and behaviour-change measures, and highlights research and knowledge gaps.

Quantifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through life-expectancy losses: a population-level study of 29 countries 

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant mortality increases in 2020 of a magnitude not witnessed since World War II in Western Europe or the breakup of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.

Gender in the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) Checklist

The authors propose an update to the Equator’s Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist, with the aim of enhancing inclusivity.

Rate of reinfections after SARS-CoV-2 primary infection in the population of an Italian province: a cohort study

This study confirms previous findings on a low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. If confirmed, these findings suggest that more targeted restriction policies can be applied to the subjects that recovered after a first infection. Read highly cited papers on COVID-19 from the Journal of Public Health: https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/pages/covid-19

The reproductive number of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is far higher compared to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus

Given the Delta variant's high reproductive number associated with higher transmissibility, in a context of globally still low vaccine coverage rates and lower vaccine effectiveness, public health and social measures will need to be substantially strengthened. A high reproductive number also means that much higher vaccine coverage rates need to be achieved compared to the originally assumed.

Neurological Complications of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Neurological complications are rare in children suffering from COVID-19. Still, these children are at risk of developing seizures and encephalopathy, more in those suffering from severe illness.

Reactions to Sales Restrictions on Flavored Vape Products or All Vape Products Among Young Adults in the United States

The researchers examined support for and perceived impact of e-cigarette sales restrictions. Findings suggest that bans on flavored vape products could have a positive impact on lower-risk users, but that other young adult user subgroups may not experience benefit.

Covid-19 and Health at Work 

An editorial from the earlier stages of the pandemic highlights the importance of properly fitted respirators for worker safety and outlines occupational hygiene measures.

Lessons from the field: delivering trachoma mass drug administration safely in a COVID-19 context

Guidelines for safe mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases were developed in a COVID-19 context; training and implementation were assessed through an observation checklist.

For more research on the impact of COVID-19 on NTDs, explore the March 2021 special issue: https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/issue/115/3

Previously featured

Age and frailty are independently associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and increased care needs in survivors: results of an international multi-centre study

Trajectories of Alcohol Use and Related Harms for Managed Alcohol Program Participants over 12 Months Compared with Local Controls: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Estimating the Effect of Social Distancing Interventions on COVID-19 in the United States

Selecting Controls for Minimizing SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Transmission in Workplaces and Conserving Respiratory Protective Equipment Supplies

What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries?

Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond?

Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms

The effect of falsely balanced reporting of the autism–vaccine controversy on vaccine safety perceptions and behavioral intentions

Climate change: an urgent priority for health policy and systems research

Power, control, communities and health inequalities I: theories, concepts and analytical frameworks

Research ethics in context: understanding the vulnerabilities, agency and resourcefulness of research participants living along the Thai–Myanmar border

Tobacco smoking and mortality among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults in Australia

Quality and safety in the time of Coronavirus: design better, learn faster

Years of life lost associated with COVID-19 deaths in the United States

In-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a review of the attack rates and available data on the efficacy of face masks

Stability of the Initial Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder by DSM-5 in Children: A Short-Term Follow-Up Study

Impact of Tobacco Smoking on the Risk of COVID-19: A Large Scale Retrospective Cohort Study

Mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19

The benefits and costs of social distancing in high- and low-income countries

A classification tree to assist with routine scoring of the Clinical Frailty Scale

Recent Advances in the Potential of Positive Allosteric Modulators of the GABAB Receptor to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder

The recent oubreak of smallpox in Meschede, West Germany

Your Hair or Your Service: An Issue of Faith for Sikh Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Emerging Infections: Pandemic Influenza

Identifying the views of adolescents in five European countries on the drivers of obesity using group model building 

Novel multi-virus rapid respiratory microbiological point-of-care testing in primary care: a mixed-methods feasibility evaluation

Public health crisis in the refugee community: little change in social determinants of health preserve health disparities

In search of ‘community’: a critical review of community mental health services for women in African settings

COVID-19, a tale of two pandemics: novel coronavirus and fake news messaging 

Disrupting vaccine logistics

Use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to identify confounders in applied health research: review and recommendations

Measurement and monitoring patient safety in prehospital care: a systematic review

Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 cases: relationship in two databases

The positive impact of lockdown in Wuhan on containing the COVID-19 outbreak in China

Severe Malnutrition and Anemia Are Associated with Severe COVID in Infants

A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Pilot, and Feasibility Study of a High Nicotine Strength E-Cigarette Intervention for Smoking Cessation or Reduction for People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Who Smoke Cigarettes

Healthcare workers and protection against inhalable SARS-CoV-2 aerosols

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Public perspectives on COVID-19 public health and social measures in Japan and the United Kingdom: a qualitative study

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was one of the greatest modern public health crises that the world has faced. Countries undertook sweeping public health and social measures (PHSM); including envir...

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Exercise, grit, and life satisfaction among Korean adolescents: a latent growth modeling analysis

Life satisfaction among Korean students is declining substantially, and multifaceted improvement efforts are required.

Multi-level analysis of intimate partner violence and its determinants among reproductive age group women in Ethiopia: evidence from Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey, 2016

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is recognized as a main public health challenge, with serious consequences for women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. Despite its public health importance, m...

Determinants of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and associated factors among regular undergraduate students at Hawassa University Southern, Ethiopia, 2023: institution-based cross-sectional study

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a condition causing severe emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms before menstruation. It greatly hinders daily activities, affecting academic and interpersonal ...

Exploring the working life of people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden

The COVID-19 pandemic led to vast changes in working life and conditions in which we work. These changes may affect people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) differently. We aimed to describe the working situation...

The effect of replacing sedentary behavior with different intensities of physical activity on depression and anxiety in Chinese university students: an isotemporal substitution model

Previous research has suggested that engaging in regular physical activity (PA) can help to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in university students. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the ...

Bone fracture is associated with incident myocardial infarction in long-term follow-up

The association between bone fracture and cardiovascular diseases is examined in this study. While basic research has established a connection between fractures and heart attacks through the linkage between bo...

Socio-demographic predictors of not having private dental insurance coverage: machine-learning algorithms may help identify the disadvantaged

For accessing dental care in Canada, approximately 62% of the population has employment-based insurance, 6% have some publicly funded coverage, and 32% have to pay out-of pocket. Those with no insurance or pub...

Machine learning algorithms using national registry data to predict loss to follow-up during tuberculosis treatment

Identifying patients at increased risk of loss to follow-up (LTFU) is key to developing strategies to optimize the clinical management of tuberculosis (TB). The use of national registry data in prediction mode...

#Bartender: portrayals of popular alcohol influencer’s videos on TikTok ©

Despite widespread use of the short-video social media platform TikTok © , limited research investigates how alcohol is portrayed on the platform. Previous research suggests that a driver of alcohol content on TikT...

Energy, nutrient and overall healthiness of processed packaged foods in Fiji, a comparison between 2018 and 2020

In Fiji, packaged foods are becoming increasingly available. However, it is unknown if nutrition composition of these foods has changed. This study aims to assess changes in energy, nutrient content and health...

A cohort study of self-perception of ageing and all-cause mortality among older adults in China: a multiple mediators analysis

Positive self-perception of aging (SPA) is a well-known predictor of longevity, while how and to what extent SPA is linked with all-cause mortality among older adults is still unclear. This study aims to eluci...

Family cohesion and quality of life significantly affecting personality changes in adult epilepsy patients: a case-control study

The goal of epilepsy treatment is not only to control convulsive seizures but also to improve the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to investigate personality changes and the risk factors for their...

Assessment of handwashing impact on detection of SARS-CoV-2, Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli on hands in rural and urban settings of Côte d’Ivoire during COVID-19 pandemic

Handwashing is the first line of hygiene measures and one of the oldest methods of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Despite its efficacy in the health system, handwashing is often inadequately pra...

Feasibility and acceptability of a cohort study baseline data collection of device-measured physical behaviors and cardiometabolic health in Saudi Arabia: expanding the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium (ProPASS) in the Middle East

Physical behaviors such physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep are associated with mortality, but there is a lack of epidemiological data and knowledge using device-measured physical behaviors.

Risk factors and their association network for young adults’ suicidality: a cross-sectional study

Understanding the intricate influences of risk factors contributing to suicide among young individuals remains a challenge. The current study employed interpretable machine learning and network analysis to unr...

Cold waves and fine particulate matter in high-altitude Chinese cities: assessing their interactive impact on outpatient visits for respiratory disease

Extreme weather events like heatwaves and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) have a synergistic effect on mortality, but research on the synergistic effect of cold waves and PM 2.5 on outpatient visits for respirator...

Process evaluation of implementation of the early stages of a whole systems approach to obesity in a small Island

The small Atlantic island of St Helena is a United Kingdom Overseas Territory (UKOT) with a high prevalence of childhood obesity (over a quarter of 4–5 and 10–11 year olds) and, anecdotally, adulthood obesity ...

Risk of not being in employment, education or training (NEET) in late adolescence is signalled by school readiness measures at 4–5 years

Not being in employment, education, or training (NEET) is associated with poor health (physical and mental) and social exclusion. We investigated whether England’s statutory school readiness measure conducted ...

The state of health in the European Union (EU-27) in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study 2019

The European Union (EU) faces many health-related challenges. Burden of diseases information and the resulting trends over time are essential for health planning. This paper reports estimates of disease burden...

The association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and urinary incontinence among adult females in the United States

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and urinary incontinence (UI) are both highly prevalent and age-related diseases. Nevertheless, the link between NAFLD and UI is unclear. Hence, the study was designed...

Factors influencing risk perception during Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC): a scoping review

The unknownness and dread potential of a risk event shapes its perceived risk. A public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) declaration by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a signal for such...

Examining determinants of stunting in Urban and Rural Indonesian: a multilevel analysis using the population-based Indonesian family life survey (IFLS)

In Indonesia, chronic malnutrition leading to stunted growth in children represents a significant issue within the public health domain. The prevalence of stunting varies between urban and rural areas, reflect...

Associated lifestyle factors of elevated plasma aldosterone concentration in community population, gender-stratified analysis of a cross-sectional survey

Aldosterone plays important parts in development of cardio-metabolic diseases as end product of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. However, factors elevating circulating aldosterone are not clear, and lifes...

Human resource shortage in India’s health sector: a scoping review of the current landscape

For healthcare delivery to be optimally effective, health systems must possess adequate levels and we must ensure a fair distribution of human resources aimed at healthcare facilities. We conducted a scoping r...

Effects of electronic screen exposure time on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study

We previously conducted a case-control study and found that exposure to electronic screen before nocturnal sleep was associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP). Hence, we carried out this cohort...

The relationship between oxidative balance scores and chronic diarrhea and constipation: a population-based study

Oxidative stress is closely related to gut health. Exposures to oxidative stress in one’s diet and lifestyle can be evaluated by the oxidative balance score (OBS). However, the relationship between OBS and int...

The effect of physical fitness on psychological health: evidence from Chinese university students

Despite frequent discussions on the link between physical and mental health, the specific impact of physical fitness on mental well-being is yet to be fully established.

New sagittal abdominal diameter and transverse abdominal diameter based equations to estimate visceral fat area in type 2 diabetes patients

Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are considered gold standards for measuring visceral fat area (VFA). However, their relatively high prices and potential radiation exposure limit th...

Lag effect of ambient temperature on respiratory emergency department visits in Beijing: a time series and pooled analysis

Although the association between ambient temperature and mortality of respiratory diseases was numerously documented, the association between various ambient temperature levels and respiratory emergency depart...

The effect of soy isoflavones supplementation on metabolic status in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized placebo controlled clinical trial

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) accounts as a crucial health concern with a huge burden on health and economic systems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of soy isoflavones supplementat...

Smokeless tobacco consumption among women of reproductive age: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) poses many negative health impacts. Despite its longstanding presence in societies across the world, the health implications of SLT have only been rigorously studied in recent decades. ...

Prevalence of HIV-related stigma manifestations and their contributing factors among people living with HIV in Sweden – a nationwide study

With access to  antiretroviral therapy (ART) HIV infection is a chronic manageable condition and non-sexually transmissible. Yet, many people living with HIV still testify about experiencing HIV-related stigma...

Disease burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents considering both co-morbidities and suicide in Northeastern China

Few studies have assessed the burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents considering the impact of co-morbidities and suicide on disability adjusted life years (DALYs).

Factors associated with antiretroviral treatment adherence among people living with HIV in Guangdong Province, China: a cross sectional analysis

Understanding factors associated with antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence is crucial for ART success among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the “test and treat” era. Multiple psychosocial factors tend to...

Postpartum depression symptoms: prevalence, risk factors, and childbirth experiences in Palestine

Worldwide mothers are suffering from postpartum depression (PPD) which impairs mothers’ well-being, children, and families, and leads to adverse outcomes for mothers and their growing newborns. Low and middle-...

COVID-19 vaccine intentions and attitudes in Black American emerging adults with asthma

Emerging adults (aged 18–29) are less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than any other adult age group. Black Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to be fully vaccinated against COV...

Physical activity and functional social support in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review

Globally, the population of older people is increasing and is estimated to reach nearly 2.1 billion by 2050. Physical activity (PA) is one of the key components for successful ageing. However, PA decreases wit...

Structural relations of illness perception, fatigue, locus of control, self-efficacy, and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience extensive problems due to fatigue and illness perception. Reducing these problems may improve these patients’ quality of life (QoL). Accordingly, the current st...

Community medical service construction: identifying factors that influence medical choice for patients with non-communicable chronic diseases in the Southwest China

Community medical institutions play a vital role in China’s healthcare system. While the number of these institutions has increased in recent years, their construction contents remain insufficient. The potenti...

Impact of COVID-19 on women living with HIV who are survivors of intimate partner violence

Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to women without HIV, but there has been minimal research to date on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ...

Prediction of adolescent weight status by machine learning: a population-based study

Adolescent weight problems have become a growing public health concern, making early prediction of non-normal weight status crucial for effective prevention. However, few temporal prediction tools for adolesce...

Air pollution, life’s essential 8, and risk of severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among individuals with type 2 diabetes

The impacts of long-term exposure to air pollution on the risk of subsequent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is ambiguous. The modifying role of Life’s E...

Assessment of secular trends of three major gynecologic cancers burden and attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019: an age period cohort analysis

This study aims to assess the long-term trends in the burden of three major gynecologic cancers(GCs) stratified by social-demographic status across the world from 1990 to 2019. To assess the trends of risk fac...

Parental hesitancy toward children vaccination: a multi-country psychometric and predictive study

Understanding vaccine hesitancy, as a critical concern for public health, cannot occur without the use of validated measures applicable and relevant to the samples they are assessing. The current study aimed t...

Cognition as mediator of pulmonary function and risk of sarcopenia among older adults

The relationship between lung function and sarcopenia remains ambiguous. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between lung function and sarcopenia in the older adults, as ...

Association of physical activity and screen time with cardiovascular disease risk in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report, limited evidence is available on sedentary behaviors (screen time) and their joint associations with physical activity (steps...

Bivariate extreme value analysis of extreme temperature and mortality in Canada, 2000-2020

Climate change increases the risk of illness through rising temperature, severe precipitation and worst air pollution. This paper investigates how monthly excess mortality rate is associated with the increasin...

Factors facilitating and hindering South Asian immigrant adults from engaging in exercise and physical activity – a qualitative systematic review

Exercise and physical activity are key components of management in patients with rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (RMD), but people of the South Asian communities have a lower level of engagement with these ...

Living in urban or rural environments affect the sleep quality of the elderly in Bushehr (Southern Iran): emphasizing the active and inactive of the elderly

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• v.110(3); 2019 Jun

Language: English | French

Why public health matters today and tomorrow: the role of applied public health research

Lindsay mclaren.

1 University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Paula Braitstein

2 University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

David Buckeridge

3 McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Damien Contandriopoulos

4 University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada

Maria I. Creatore

5 CIHR Institute of Population & Public Health and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Guy Faulkner

6 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

David Hammond

7 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada

Steven J. Hoffman

8 CIHR Institute of Population & Public Health and York University, Toronto, Canada

Yan Kestens

9 Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada

Scott Leatherdale

Jonathan mcgavock.

10 University of Manitoba and the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

Wendy V. Norman

11 University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Candace Nykiforuk

12 University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Valéry Ridde

13 IRD (French Institute For Research on Sustainable Development), CEPED (IRD-Université Paris Descartes), ERL INSERM SAGESUD, Université Paris Sorbonne Cités, Paris, France

14 University of Montreal Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM), Montreal, Canada

Janet Smylie

Public health is critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. Realizing this vision requires imagining a public health community that can maintain its foundational core while adapting and responding to contemporary imperatives such as entrenched inequities and ecological degradation. In this commentary, we reflect on what tomorrow’s public health might look like, from the point of view of our collective experiences as researchers in Canada who are part of an Applied Public Health Chairs program designed to support “innovative population health research that improves health equity for citizens in Canada and around the world.” We view applied public health research as sitting at the intersection of core principles for population and public health: namely sustainability, equity, and effectiveness. We further identify three attributes of a robust applied public health research community that we argue are necessary to permit contribution to those principles: researcher autonomy, sustained intersectoral research capacity, and a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. Our intention is to catalyze further discussion and debate about why and how public health matters today and tomorrow, and the role of applied public health research therein.

Résumé

La santé publique est essentielle à une société saine, juste et durable. Pour donner forme à cette vision, il faut imaginer une communauté de la santé publique capable de préserver ses valeurs fondamentales tout en s’adaptant et en réagissant aux impératifs du moment, comme les inégalités persistantes et la dégradation de l’environnement. Dans notre commentaire, nous esquissons un portrait possible de la santé publique de demain en partant de notre expérience collective de chercheurs d’un programme canadien de chaires en santé publique appliquée qui visent à appuyer « la recherche innovatrice sur la santé de la population en vue d’améliorer l’équité en santé au Canada et ailleurs ». Nous considérons la recherche appliquée en santé publique comme se trouvant à la croisée des principes fondamentaux de la santé publique et des populations, à savoir : la durabilité, l’équité et l’efficacité. Nous définissons aussi les trois attributs d’une solide communauté de recherche appliquée en santé publique nécessaires selon nous au respect de ces principes : l’autonomie des chercheurs, une capacité de recherche intersectorielle soutenue et une perspective critique de l’interface entre la recherche, la pratique et les politiques. Nous voulons susciter des discussions et des débats approfondis sur l’importance de la santé publique pour aujourd’hui et pour demain et sur le rôle de la recherche appliquée en santé publique.

Introduction

Public health is critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. Public health’s role in this vision stems from its foundational values of social justice and collectivity (Rutty and Sullivan 2010 ) and—we argue—from its position at the interface of research, practice, and policy.

Realizing this vision requires imagining a public health community that can maintain that foundational core, embrace opportunities of our changing world, and predict and adapt to emerging challenges in a timely manner. Unprecedented ecosystem disruption creates far-reaching health implications for which the public health community is unprepared (CPHA 2015 ; Whitmee et al. 2015 ). Human displacement is at its highest levels on record; those forced from home include “stateless people,” who are denied access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment, and freedom of movement ( http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html ). Significant growth in urban populations creates an urgent need to improve urban environments, including policies to reduce air pollution and prevent sprawl (CPHA 2015 ; Frumkin et al. 2004 ), to reduce the substantial burden of morbidity and mortality attributable to behaviours such as physical inactivity, which negatively impact quality and quantity of life (Manuel et al. 2016 ). Significant and entrenched forms of economic, social, political, and historical marginalization and exclusion (TRC 2015 ), coupled with inequitable and unsustainable patterns of resource consumption and technological development (CPHA 2015 ; Whitmee et al. 2015 ), cause and perpetuate health inequities. These inequities underlie the now longstanding recognition that the unequal distributions of health-damaging experiences are the main determinants of health (CSDH 2008 ; Ridde 2004 ).

These imperatives demand a broadly characterized public health community. A now classic definition of public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts of society (Last 2001 ). Public health, conceptualized in this manner, engages multiple sectors, embraces inclusion and empowerment (Ridde 2007 ), and demands navigating diverse political and economic agendas. Across Canada, a large and growing proportion of provincial spending is devoted to health care, while the proportion devoted to social spending (i.e., the social determinants of health) is small, flat-lining, and in some places declining (Dutton et al. 2018 ). Recent discourse has highlighted a weakening of formal public health infrastructure (Guyon et al. 2017 ) and points of fracture within the field (Lucyk and McLaren 2017 ). Efforts to strengthen public health, in its broadest sense, and to work towards unity of purpose (Talbot 2018 ) are needed now more than ever. What might such efforts look like?

We reflect on this question from our perspectives as researchers who are part of an Applied Public Health Chairs (APHC) program designed to support “innovative population health research that improves health equity for citizens in Canada and around the world.” 1 The applied dimension 2 is facilitated through the program’s focus on “interdisciplinary collaborations and mentorship of researchers and decision makers in health and other sectors” ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48898.html ). The APHC program (Box 1) is part of a broader set of efforts to address gaps in public health capacity, including research. Cross-cutting themes for the 2014 cohort (Box 2) include the following: healthy public policy, supportive environments (e.g., cities), diverse methodological approaches, global health, and health equity; many of which 3 align with a Public Health Services and Systems Research perspective in that they “identif[y] the implementation strategies that work, building evidence to support decision-making across the public health sphere” ( http://www.publichealthsystems.org/ ). Applied public health research is broad and could span CIHR Pillars 4 (social, cultural, environmental, and population health research) and 3 (health services research); the 2014 APHC cohort is predominantly aligned with Pillar 4.

The APHC program represents a significant Canadian investment in public health, and thus provides an important vantage point from which to reflect on why public health matters today, and tomorrow.

Box 1 The Applied Public Health Chairs program

Box 2 2014 cohort of Applied Public Health Chairs

More details available at: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48898.html

Our proposal

We propose that applied public health research is a critical component of a robust population and public health community. As illustrated in Fig.  1 , we view applied public health research as sitting at the nexus of three core principles: (1) sustainability, (2) equity, and (3) effectiveness, which align with a vision of public health as critical to a healthy, fair, and sustainable society. By sustainability , we mean an approach or way of thinking, about public health in particular (e.g., Schell et al. 2013 ) and population well-being more broadly ( https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs ) that emphasizes “meet[ing] the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland et al. 1987 ). Sustainability has social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions. We define equity as a worldview concerned with the embedded or systemic—and often invisible—drivers of unfair distributions of health-damaging experiences. In Canada and elsewhere, inequity is entrenched in legacies of colonial, structural racism designed to sustain inequitable patterns of power and wealth. Equity transcends diverse axes and perspectives, and an equity lens is action-oriented (Ridde 2007 ). Finally, effectiveness refers to impact or benefits for population well-being, as demonstrated by rigorous research. Explicit core values (e.g., equity), while important, are insufficient without translation to demonstrable outcomes (Potvin and Jones 2011 ). These core principles—sustainability, equity, and effectiveness—overlap and are mutually reinforcing; for example, the inequitable concentration of power, wealth, and exploitation of resources precludes sustainability.

Visual depiction of the role and attributes of applied public health research, vis-à-vis core population and public health principles of equity, sustainability, and effectiveness

Although these principles are applicable to the public health community broadly (i.e., including but not limited to researchers), applied public health researchers are uniquely situated to embrace sustainability, equity, and effectiveness when asking questions and generating policy- and practice-relevant knowledge, as illustrated below. Drawing on our collective experiences, we describe three necessary attributes of applied public health research that support our model in Fig.  1 : researcher autonomy, sustained intersectoral research capacity; and a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. We assert that applied public health research is best positioned to contribute meaningfully to the principles of sustainability, effectiveness, and equity if the attributes described below are in place.

Researcher autonomy

Researcher autonomy is a precondition for innovation and independent thinking, and for building and sustaining the conditions for collective efforts. Our working definition of researcher autonomy is the capacity to devote time and energy to activities that, at the researcher’s discretion, facilitate research that embraces principles of sustainability, effectiveness, and equity. Autonomy, beyond the scope of general academic independence, provides the freedom to build and nurture partnerships, and to navigate among universities, health care systems, governments, communities, and across sectors. Effective and respectful partnerships are critical to rigorous intersectoral work and can provide an important platform to discuss systemic forms of inequity (e.g., Olivier et al. 2016 ; Morton Ninomiya et al. 2017 ). Recognizing a potential tension around the role of the researcher in an applied public health context, we deliberately selected the word “autonomy,” which we view as conducive to meaningful collaboration (although that may be experienced differently by different researchers), rather than “independence” which can be seen as contrary to such collaboration. Yet despite their importance, the time and resources to form and sustain those relationships are often not accommodated within funding and academic structures.

Autonomy, when coupled with resources and recognition, permits applied public health researchers to balance foundations of public health with current policy relevance. Although many of us have research programs with particular thematic foci (e.g., physical activity, dental health, HIV), autonomy provides space and credibility to connect those focal issues to enduring and evolving problems in public health (e.g., determinants of population well-being and equity), and to inform the contemporary policy context. Examples include research on health implications of neighbourhood gentrification in urban settings (Steinmetz-Wood et al. 2017 ); using community water fluoridation as a window into public and political understanding and acceptance of public health interventions that are universal in nature (McLaren and Petit 2018 ); and using innovative sampling methods to identify how census methods can perpetuate exclusion (Rotondi et al. 2017 ). That latter work, which estimated that the national census undercounts urban Indigenous populations in Toronto by a factor of approximately 2–4, provides impetus to work towards an inclusive system that respects individual and collective data sovereignty, and that is accountable to the communities from whom data are collected.

These implications of autonomy are consistent with calls for greater reflexivity in public health research (Tremblay and Parent 2014 ).

Insight : To strengthen applied public health research in Canada, researcher autonomy – whereby researchers have the credibility and protected time to set their own agendas in partnerships with the communities they serve – must be privileged.

Sustained intersectoral research capacity

Applied public health research requires funding for resources and infrastructure that are essential to sustain an intersectoral research program, but for which operating funds are otherwise not readily available. Examples include ongoing cohort studies (e.g., Leatherdale et al. 2014 ), research software platforms (e.g., Shaban-Nejad et al. 2017 ), meaningful public sector engagement in developing public health priorities, and knowledge translation activities.

Partnerships, also considered under researcher autonomy above, are one form of intersectoral research capacity. In applied public health research, having strong partnerships in place permits timely response to research opportunities that arise quickly in real-world settings. Examples in our cohort include instances where researchers were able to mobilize for rapid response funding competitions in areas of environment and health, communicable disease in the global South, and Indigenous training networks, because collaborative teams and potential for knowledge co-creation and transfer were already in place.

Insight : A robust applied public health research community requires sustained funding to support foundations of a credible and internationally-competitive research program (e.g., cohort studies, research software platforms, meaningful public sector engagement) that are difficult to resource via usual operating grant channels.

A critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface

One barrier to evidence-based policy in applied public health is an assumption that evidence is the most important factor in making policy decisions, versus a more holistic view of the policymaking process where evidence is one of many factors, as discussed in recent work (Fafard and Hoffman 2018 ; O’Neill et al. 2019 ; Ridde and Yaméogo 2018 ).

Applied public health research is ideally positioned to embrace a critical perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. Several recent trends are promising in that regard. These include the following: substantive efforts to bridge public health and social science scholarship ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50604.html ), growing success by Pillar 4 researchers (including applied public health) in CIHR’s open funding competitions ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50488.html ), and the CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship initiative ( http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50612.html ), which could facilitate the placement of doctoral and post-doctoral academic researchers within the public health system and related (e.g., public, NGO) organizations.

Insight : Applied public health researchers are ideally positioned to embrace and model a sophisticated and interdisciplinary perspective on the research-practice-policy interface. To do so, opportunities for researchers (including trainees) to gain skills and experience to navigate the policy context are needed.

Against the backdrop of discourse about a weakening of public health infrastructure and fracture within the field (Guyon et al. 2017 ; Lucyk and McLaren 2017 ), we believe that there is value in working towards a unity of purpose (Talbot 2018 ). This commentary was prompted by a shared belief that through our experience with the Applied Public Health Chair Program, we have seen a glimpse of what is needed to achieve a population and public health community that is positioned to tackle societal imperatives, which includes an important role for applied public health research, spanning CIHR Pillars 3 and 4. Anchored in principles of sustainability, equity, and effectiveness, we assert a strong need for applied research infrastructure that privileges and supports: researcher autonomy, sustained funding to support foundations of a credible and internationally competitive research program, and opportunities for researchers (including trainees) to gain skills and experience to navigate the policy context. We welcome and invite further discussion and debate.

1 Under CIHR-IPPH’s mandate, population health research refers to “research into the complex biological, social, cultural, and environmental interactions that determine the health of individuals, communities, and global populations.”

2 Applied may be defined as follows: “put to practical use,” as opposed to being theoretical ( https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/applied ).

3 For example: https://uwaterloo.ca/compass-system/ (Leatherdale); http://cart-grac.ubc.ca/ (Norman); http://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/ (Ridde).

The original version of this article was revised due to a retrospective Open Access order.

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Change history

The article ���Why public health matters today and tomorrow: the role of applied public health research,��� written by Lindsay McLaren et al., was originally published Online First without Open Access.

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EDITORIAL article

Editorial: qualitative research applied to public health: new topics and insight.

• 1 Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
• 2 Ciencias de la salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• 3 Department of Physiotherapy, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Editorial on the Research Topic Qualitative research applied to public health: new topics and insight

The concept of public health refers to the science and art of preventing diseases and promoting, protecting, and improving health ( 1 ). The essential functions of public health include monitoring the health of the population, keeping watch on risk factors, guaranteeing access to healthcare services, and promoting research, among others. Although there have been many advances over the years in vaccine development, emergency response, the promotion of sexual and reproductive health, and access to medicine, a single solution has yet to be found which meets the needs of the population in different health systems ( 2 ). Classical epidemiology studies the phenomena of health and disease in the community, considering the population as a group of individuals without considering the many individual and social factors. Qualitative methodology contributes to the study of the determinants of health and disease, healthcare planning, the detection of needs, and the evaluation of interventions from the experiences of individuals and societies ( 3 ). In the face of a unitary, measurable, and external reality to the cognoscente, there is a reality which each person creates within the framework of their culture, tradition, and history. Therefore, the implementation of a dual research perspective in public health must involve quantitative approaches that address the generality of the study problem, but also qualitative ones, which include multiple layers of diversity and the range of lived experiences ( 4 , 5 ). As reflected in our Research Topic, the experiences of patients, professionals, and families are key to understanding public health problems.

Research does not occur isolated from the interests and powers of the academic, scientific, personal, or theoretical field ( 6 ). Together with the technical interest in knowing the reality in order to transform it ( Zang et al. ), practical interest points to the intersubjective understanding of the health-disease process, and emancipatory interest points to actively taking charge of this process. In line with studying the experiences of patients, Wang et al. found specific action plans, medical feedback, and periodic records as facilitators of adherence to lifestyle prescriptions among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Bailey-Davis et al. found that obese patients undergoing treatment in primary care expect personalized treatment options and referrals to effective community programmes. Campaña et al. , suggests that being a woman with a low educational background coming from the public health system outside of the capital could contribute to barriers for effective healthcare for lung cancer in Chile . Gabay , proposes that positive experiences in the relationship between the patient and nurse instill hope for being discharged in intensive care units. Experiences of young generations on the social problems of parental care are addressed by Peng et al. , emphasizing that governments should guarantee that adult children receive help to balance their work, life, and parental care responsibilities. Chen et al. found that major epidemics accelerate and promote major social changes, technological development, political, and economic measures. Experiences of members of public health associations in tracking and treating COVID-19 cases in migrants and refugees are studied by Dawson-Hahn et al. . Qualitative research also studies the experiences of evaluating public health intervention programmes, such as the case of Thoumi et al. when addressing health inequalities in Latinx communities in North Carolina; or the perspective of professionals on the barriers, facilitators, and elements for improving the +AGIL Barcelona programme ( Canet-Vélez and Solis-Navarro ). Teaching-learning experiences are also addressed by qualitative research in the different stages. In undergraduate studies, Zhu et al. suggests that a synthesis of knowledge and practice is needed to improve the professional skills of undergraduate nursing students. In postgraduate studies, Sánchez-Muñoz et al. found that the residency period is important in the training and acquisition of skills as a Family and Community Nursing Specialist Nurse in Spain, and improvements are needed to guarantee quality training and more visibility. Myroniuk et al. recommends involving health sciences students in public health programmes aimed at the community. Experiences of public healthcare professionals have also been studied in our Research Topic. Canet-Vélez et al. suggests that legal regulation has provided a security framework for nurse prescribing. However, strategies are needed for its comprehensive development, public acceptance and to give visibility to nurse prescribing at an international level. Along with practical interest, emancipatory interest is key in qualitative research. Researchers analyze public health problems through self-reflection, seeking social transformation, and participant involvement for change. This positioning generates empowerment, leading patients to participate in decision-making and take charge of their own health. Along these lines, Röger-Offergeld et al. studied how the participation of women as co-researchers leads to their social empowerment beyond the results of the research itself. Melhem et al. found that health literacy and empowering survivors of colorectal cancer promotes a more positive experience when interacting with healthcare systems.

Gadamer and Habermas criticize the excessively objectified and decontextualized nature of positivism and instrumental reason in 20 th century philosophy, recognizing the role of the subject in the creation and acquisition of knowledge and understanding ( 7 ). Qualitative research is increasingly common in contemporary health sciences, helping to incorporate the perspectives of the participants (patients, family, professionals, managers, etc.) in the design and development of the research, treating them as equals. Qualitative public health researchers could strengthen dialogue with conventional research paradigms by fostering an understanding of interdependencies ( 8 ). Investigating social determinants and health inequities requires epidemiologists and public health researchers to expand theories, research methodologies, and involve all participants ( 9 , 10 ). The perspective of those who use public health services differs from the professional, clinical or academic perspective ( 11 ). Qualitative research enables an understanding of how people interpret and respond to public health policies, thus weighing the sources of academic and experiential knowledge ( 12 ). The main strength of qualitative research is the in-depth and rich descriptions of data that is studied ( 13 ). For this reason, it is used in global public health when the problems cannot be analyzed from traditional quantitative approaches, when “silenced voices” are not heard, or when sociocultural contexts are key in decision making and problem solving ( 14 ). This contribution, which complements epidemiological research, is key for all knowledge disciplines that develop research on global public health and on all communities in particular.

Author contributions

JG-M: Writing—review & editing. MR-F: Writing—review & editing. IF-M: Writing—review & editing. SN-N: Writing—review & editing. IS: Writing—review & editing.

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

1. World Health Organization (WHO). 21st Century Health Challenges. Can the essential public health functions make a difference? Discussion Paper. (2021). Available online at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/351510/9789240038929-eng.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed January 31, 2024).

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3. Sola CF, Molina JG, Padilla JM. Comprender para cuidar: avances en investigación cualitativa en Ciencias de la Salud [in Spanish]. Almería: Servicio de publicaciones Universidad de Almería/Universidad Autónoma de Chile. (2020).

4. Rolfe DE, Ramsden VR, Banner D, Graham ID. Using qualitative health research methods to improve patient and public involvement and engagement in research. Res Involv Engagem. (2018) 4:49. doi: 10.1186/s40900-018-0129-8

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8. Papoutsi C, Shaw J, Paparini S, Shaw S. We need to talk about complexity in health research: findings from a focused ethnography. Qual Health Res. (2021) 31:338–48. doi: 10.1177/1049732320968779

9. Fisher MP, Hamer MK. Qualitative methods in health policy and systems research: a framework for study planning. Qual Health Res. (2020) 30:1899–912. doi: 10.1177/1049732320921143

10. Maxwell JA. The value of qualitative inquiry for public policy. Qual Inq . (2020) 26:177–186. doi: 10.1177/1077800419857093

11. Maguire K, Britten N. 'You're there because you are unprofessional': patient and public involvement as liminal knowledge spaces. Sociol Health Illn. (2018) 40:463–77. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12655

12. Roura M. The social ecology of power in participatory health research. Qual Health Res. (2021) 31:778–88. doi: 10.1177/1049732320979187

13. Renjith V, Yesodharan R, Noronha JA, Ladd E, George A. Qualitative methods in health care research. Int J Prev Med . (2021) 24:12–20. doi: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_321_19

14. Liamputtong P, Rice ZS. Qualitative research inquiry and global public health. In Liamputtong, P. editor Handbook of social sciences and global public health , Cham: Springer (2023). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-25110-8

Keywords: public health, qualitative research, experiences, nursing research, health sciences research

Citation: Granero-Molina J, Ruiz-Fernández MD, Fernández-Medina IM, Núñez-Nagy S and Suazo Galdames IC (2024) Editorial: Qualitative research applied to public health: new topics and insight. Front. Public Health 12:1371938. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1371938

Received: 17 January 2024; Accepted: 26 January 2024; Published: 06 February 2024.

Edited and reviewed by: Christiane Stock , Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany

Copyright © 2024 Granero-Molina, Ruiz-Fernández, Fernández-Medina, Núñez-Nagy and Suazo Galdames. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: José Granero-Molina, jgranero@ual.es

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Public health and research: an overview

Journal of Health Research

ISSN : 2586-940X

Article publication date: 15 October 2020

Issue publication date: 15 June 2021

This paper was to describe the overview of public health research.

Design/methodology/approach

It is a commentary piece of work from own long experience in working with the World Health Organization.

This study has innovative ideas in approaching priority areas in public health research.

Originality/value

This study opens up new thought in public health research.

• Public health

Public health research

Plianbangchang, S. (2021), "Public health and research: an overview", Journal of Health Research , Vol. 35 No. 4, pp. 374-378. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHR-03-2020-0074

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Samlee Plianbangchang

Published in Journal of Health Research . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

An overview of public health

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized community efforts as well as the informed choice of society, public, private and voluntary organizations and communities at large. Analyzing the health of a population and the threats to that health forms the basis for public health.

Additionally, “health”, as defined in the WHO Constitution in 1948 [ 1 ], considers physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Furthermore, public health is interdisciplinary, thus, a “public health team” may include several related disciplines in health and other social fields. Access to public health initiatives for comprehensive and integrated health care and services is always a difficult challenge in any population setting.

The objective of this commentary is to provide an overview of public health research and highlight innovative thinking in the field.

Public health systems

Public health systems are commonly defined as “all public, private, and voluntary entities that contribute to the delivery of essential public health services to people within a jurisdiction” [ 2 ]. This concept is to ensure, among other things, that all contributions to the improved health and well-being of the community or state are appropriately recognized and counted in the assessment of the provision of public health services to the community. The public health system includes public health agencies at state and local levels; all healthcare providers; public safety agencies; human services and charity organizations; education and youth development agencies; recreation and art-related organizations; economic and philanthropic agencies and environmental organizations.

The 10 essential public health services/functions

Monitoring community health situations to identify and solve health problems and prevent any health risks in the community;

Investigating and diagnosing specific health threats and health hazards in the community with the view to their early prevention;

Through modern technology in communication, informing, educating and empowering people in the community about health issues and challenges and their interventions;

Identifying/investigating and solving any problems of public health importance;

Through the full participation of people, developing policies and plans that support individual and combined health efforts in the community;

Ensuring effective enforcement of laws and regulations that protect environmental health and assure the safety of the population;

Linking people to needed personal health services and ensuring the provision of quality health care when otherwise unavailable;

Assuring the availability of effective public health workforce and competent healthcare personnel in both public and private facilities;

Objectively evaluating efficiency, effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal as well as population-based health care facilities and services and

Undertaking study/research for new insights and innovative solutions to effectively counter prevailing and emerging health problems.

Public health rsearch aims to elucidate the influence of factors that determine the health of a population, i.e. genetic, environmental, social-cultural, economic, political, etc. The objective of public health research is to use the knowledge gained to propose policies and interventions, based on scientific evidence, and to help improve the health and well-being of the population and ultimately reduce/eradicate health inequalities.

Public health research is characterized by its multidisciplinary approach. It draws on several disciplines in its development and management, especially epidemiology/human ecology; biostatistics; physical and social sciences as applied to health; biology; genetics and toxicology. It usually entails the analysis of data on population samples on varying scales, depending on the scope and purpose of the research [ 4 ].

In practical terms, public health researchers study the statuses of population health and well-being, disability and loss of independence. They analyze the determining risk factors of these statuses or conditions, whether biological, behavioral, psycho-social or environmental. In addition, the researchers develop and assess the interventions aiming to effectively promote population health, prevent disease and compensate for disabilities and loss of independence. They also develop and assess innovation to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the organization of healthcare facilities and personnel, in public health, medical and other social service areas.

Research in health may be in the fields of health research, medical research, public health research, health services research, health systems research, environmental health research and others. These are interlinked and need to be pursued in a parallel manner in public health development.

Funding agencies

Mission and role of funding agencies

(2)Quality of research proposal

Relevance to current health-related issues and problems; responding to priority public health needs and the challenges of community and country are crucial. Applications should also be in the interest of the international/global health community.

Formulation with rational and logical thinking; Research proposals should be well-conceived and developed according to sound research methodology/protocol on epidemiological principles.

Expected result of the proposal; The result must be of high quality and should imply strong feasibility in its subsequent application/implementation in both technical, managerial and financial terms.

Public health system development research

DEIDS (development and evaluation of integrated health delivery system) (Thailand Lampang Health Development Project), 1973-1978 [ 6 ].

(2)District Health Services Development Project based on the principle of the primary health care approach, Mongar Health Development Project in Bhutan, 1984–1990 [ 7 ].

(3)Comprehensive and Integrated Health Research Development Project on hill- tribe population, 2014–present (still ongoing)

This is a long-term large research and development project with many sub-projects focusing on various specific issues of the target population. It is a multi-agency and interdisciplinary endeavor developed and implemented through the coordination of the Maefah Luang University Center of Excellence on health of the hill-tribe population. It includes the development of integrated and comprehensive social and health care services with an emphasis on equity, social justice and self-reliance in the community. There are multiple sources of funding, however mainly from the National Research Council of Thailand.

Some suggested areas for contemporary public health research

Universal health coverage for all

Financial sustainability in the long term

Equal accessibility by all people, regardless of their social and economic status

The right approach to development, proactive or passive strategy

Affordability in financial and managerial terms of the country concerned.

(2)Social impact of drug abuse /addiction

The social and economic impact of (chaotic situations created by) drug abuse and addiction

The general health of a population that is gradually undermined by drug abuse and drug addiction, leading, among other things to worsened national social and economic growth.

(3)Health and social care of elderly population

Intervention to reduce the degree of morbidity/disability and dependence

Efforts to increase social and economic productivity/independence

Program for self-help and self-reliance in an aged population

Preference between aging and aged programs, the difference between the two.

(4)Emerging infectious disease (EID)

The epidemiological, environmental and ecological approach in an integrated manner

The importance of social and behavioral change

Emerging mutation, assortment and genetic change in infectious agents

Impact of global climate change on EID, etc.

Even though it is mainly conceptual, the article may be able to help open new visions in public health research for better and sustainable health in the entire population in various localities.

1 World Health Organization [WHO] . WHO basic document . 47th ed. Geneva : WHO ; 2009 [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44192 .

2 World Health Organization [WHO] . What is health policy and systems research (HPSR)? [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr/about/hpsr/en/ .

3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] , Office for state, tribal, local and territorial support . The 10 Essential Public Health Services: An Overview [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/publichealthservices/pdf/essential-phs.pdf .

4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] . Public health 101 series [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/publichealth101/ .

5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] . 24/7 Saving Lives, Protecting People [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://www.cdcfoundation.org/cdc-247-saving-lives-protecting-people# .

6 Memoir on Occasion of the Death Anniversary of Dr. Somboon Vacharothai . Bangkok ; 2014 : 39 - 43 . (On Thailand DEIDS Project) .

7 World Health Organization [WHO] , Regional office for south-east asia [SEARO]. Sasakawa health prize: stories from south-east asia . New Delhi : WHO/SEARO ; 2012 : 125 - 146 [cited 2019 Nov 28]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/205878/B4905.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y .

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Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

100+ Healthcare Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

• Allopathic medicine
• Alternative /complementary medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Physical therapy/ rehab
• Optometry and ophthalmology
• Pharmacy and pharmacology
• Public health
• Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

• The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
• The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
• The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
• The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
• The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
• The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
• The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
• The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
• The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
• The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
• The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
• The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
• The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

• The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
• The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
• The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
• The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
• The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
• The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
• The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
• The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
• The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
• The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
• The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
• The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
• The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
• The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
• The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

• The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
• The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
• The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
• The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
• The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
• The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
• The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
• The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
• The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
• The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
• The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
• The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
• The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
• The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
• The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Tops & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

• The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
• The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
• The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
• The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
• The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
• The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
• The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
• The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
• The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
• The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
• The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
• The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
• The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

• The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
• The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
• The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
• A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
• The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
• The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
• The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
• The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
• The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
• The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
• The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
• The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
• The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

• The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
• The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
• The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
• The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
• The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
• The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
• The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
• The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
• The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
• The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
• The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
• The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
• The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
• The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
• The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

• The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
• The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
• The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
• The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
• The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
• The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
• The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
• The use of technology in medication management in the USA
• The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
• Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
• The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
• The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

• The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
• The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
• The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
• The effects of heat waves on public health
• The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
• The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
• The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
• The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
• The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
• The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
• The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
• The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
• The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
• The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
• On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
• Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
• Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
• Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
• When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
• Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
• Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
• Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
• Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
• The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
• Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
• Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your healthcare dissertation or thesis, check out Topic Kickstarter service below.

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15 Comments

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

Help on problem statement on teen pregnancy

This post might be useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-problem-statement/

can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

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