Intersectional Approaches in Health‐Risk Research: A Critical Review

Abstract

This article aims to explore how the intersectional approach is used in health-risk research. Intersectionality as a concept has been recognized in health-risk research since the early 2000s, but not as much as in the broader field of health-inequality studies. However, in the past five years, Social Science and Medicine has published a series of review articles that argue for the necessity of bringing intersectional perspectives to the field of health-risk studies more generally and quantitative health-risk research in particular. Asking what it means for health-risk researchers to practise intersectionality articulates the implications of translating a theoretical approach across fields and disciplines. When applying intersectional theory to health-risks, health and risk are often treated as fixed categories-something that becomes problematic within an intersectional framework. In order to overcome the dividing lines of health-risk research and intersectionality we argue for a new approach that echoes the 'doing gender' of gender studies: doing risk.

Meddling with middle modalities: a decomposition approach to mental health inequalities between intersectional gender and economic middle groups in northern Sweden

“…The use of self-reports can also introduce common-method bias, although in this study at least the main attributes of exposure (gender and income) were measured through independent registers and not self-reported. Moreover, social categories are an issue of contention within intersectionality research, and even pragmatic provisional use of conventional social categories (8) has received criticism (42). Moreover, the sole focus on the affluence–gender intersection naturally disguises within category heterogeneity along, for example, ethnicity or sexuality.…”

Elderly and Foreign: Vulnerability and Intersectionality in Healthcare

“…Cílem intersekcionální perspektivy ve výzkumu ženského zdraví je lépe, t.j komplexněji a inkluzivněji porozumět způsobům, jakými se protínají různé dimenze nerovností plynoucích nejen z kategorie genderu, ale i ze sexuality, sociální třídy a socioekonomického statusu (SES), rasy/etnicity, věku, místa bydliště a dalších faktorů (Weber, Parra-Medina 2003: 185-186;Caiola et al 2014: 290;Banks, Kohn-Wood 2002;Giritli-Nygren, Olofsson 2014). Ani v této oblasti výzkumu nejde o jednotnou teorii, přesto lze podle autorek Weber a Parra-Mediny (2003: 185) rozpoznat několik charakteristických rysů.…”

“…A konečně důraz na zkušenosti a perspektivy utlačovaných osob, především těch z etnických a rasových minorit, jde v rámci tohoto přístupu ruku v ruce s prosazováním sociální spravedlnosti ve společnosti. Aktivismus za sociální spravedlnost ve zdraví pro všechny je viděn jako integrální součást procesu získávání vědění (Weber, Parra-Medina 2003: 185;viz také Choo, Ferree 2010;Giritli-Nygren, Olofsson 2014).…”

Contemporary Epidemiology: A Review of Critical Discussions Within the Discipline and A Call for Further Dialogue with Social Theory

“…Kapilashrami et al () suggest, for example, that such a framework can help researchers look towards social dynamics rather than social categories and thus consider structural drivers of inequalities rather than individual‐level behaviours. Studies looking at how intersectionality has actually been integrated in the fields of health and risk research find limitations, however (Girtli Nygren and Olofsson ; Hankivsky ; Kapilashrami et al ; Olofsson et al ). Efforts have been made to integrate intersectionality into quantitative study, explicitly (e.g.…”

“…Bauer ; Hinze et al ; Veenstra ) or more implicitly through analyses of heterogeneity within and between social categories (Merlo et al ; Mulinari et al , ). It is sometimes argued, however, that qualitative study is more suited for intersectionality studies than quantitative (Girtli Nygren and Olofsson ; Schultz and Mullings ), and integration of qualitative methods into epidemiology has been promoted for that purpose (Bauer ).…”