Qualitative research inquiry and global public health

Globally, public health issues impact the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. This has led public health researchers to conduct research to improve people's health and well-being. Qualitative research rooted in social science is adopted in global public health where there is a global health problem or issue that needs to be explored. This is particularly when the health problems or issues cannot be easily analyzed using traditional quantitative approaches and when "silenced voices" are not being heard. Qualitative research is an approach researchers use to examine the health and well-being of individuals within the sociocultural contexts of their lives. Fundamentally, qualitative research is interpretive; the meanings and interpretations of the research participants are the essence of qualitative research. Qualitative research is useful for global public health in many ways. It encourages researchers to work with marginalized and vulnerable people and to address these issues within the social justice framework. The methods adopted in qualitative research embrace the lived experiences of people who occupy a variety of social spaces. This chapter discusses the value of qualitative research in global public health. It outlines some recent global public health concerns, the nature and role of qualitative inquiry, and the use of qualitative research in implementation science and evidence-based public health care.