Interconnected pathways forming a brain with data streams, representing critical qualitative research in public health.

Beyond the Bare Bones: How Critical Qualitative Research Can Transform Public Health

Soraya Malik monogram
Soraya Malik in Health & Wellness November 2026 • 4 min read.

"Uncover the power of theoretically engaged qualitative research to drive meaningful change and address complex issues in public health."


For years, qualitative research has played a role in the Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH), but the journal seeks to be recognized as a hub for critical research that incorporates social theory and innovative methodologies. The goal is to foster deeper insights into multifaceted health issues and drive meaningful change.

This article will explore the meaning of critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research and advocate for its importance in public health research and practice. It will also present modifications made to the CJPH's manuscript submission process and highlight contributions to public health scholarship. The intent is to encourage the public health community to support this vision by enhancing informed qualitative research to transform public health.

Qualitative research delves into the 'why' behind health issues, providing context and depth that quantitative data alone cannot capture. By integrating critical perspectives and social theories, researchers can uncover root causes of health inequities and develop more effective, socially just interventions.

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Responding to Accelerating Crises

The scale and frequency of public health crises, including pandemics, environmental disasters, and climate change, have accelerated in recent years. The 2024 guide "Practical Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health Research" argues that public health research and practice would benefit from timely, time-sensitive qualitative inquiries. It presents a practical approach to qualitative data analysis (QDA) for that purpose.

What is Critical, Theoretically Engaged Qualitative Research?

Interconnected pathways forming a brain with data streams, representing critical qualitative research in public health.

Qualitative research dives into the quality and essence of social phenomena through language and visual data, sidestepping numerical transformations for statistical representations. It's about deeply understanding the complexities of human experiences and social contexts, not just counting them. Researchers immerse themselves in real-world settings, using naturalistic inquiry to capture the nuances of daily life and social interactions.

This approach is particularly useful for exploring questions that traditional quantitative methods might overlook. It acknowledges the active role of the researcher in interpreting the phenomenon of interest, emphasizing context and complexity.

  • Commitment to Social Justice: Critical research actively promotes social justice and equity, challenging the status quo and seeking to address power imbalances.
  • Questioning Assumptions: It rigorously examines and challenges assumptions that are often taken for granted in public health practice and research.
  • Epistemological Awareness: It navigates the tensions between social science and public health, recognizing these as opportunities for deeper understanding and innovation.
AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Beyond Superficial Interpretation

Recent work in the Canadian Journal of Public Health describes continued efforts to welcome qualitative research while defining clearer expectations for this kind of research. A study of youth exiting homelessness analyzed their experiences over 2.5 years and pursued "value-adding" analysis. The researchers explicitly aimed to move beyond "bare bones" or superficial interpretations and re-conceptualize socioeconomic inclusion.

The integration of social theory is crucial. Rather than merely using theories as labels, critical qualitative research genuinely engages with foundational social theories to interpret social phenomena. This goes beyond surface-level analysis, providing a richer, more nuanced understanding of the issues at hand.

The Future of Qualitative Research in Public Health

This special section of CJPH marks a pivotal step toward embedding critical, theoretically engaged qualitative inquiry into the core of public health scholarship. By embracing these approaches, public health researchers and practitioners can unlock new insights, challenge existing paradigms, and ultimately contribute to more equitable and effective health outcomes for all.

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Expanding Public Health Inquiry

A 2024 editorial describes public health as the science and art of preventing disease and promoting, protecting, and improving health. It identifies population-health monitoring, attention to risk factors, access to healthcare services, and research promotion among public health's essential functions. The editorial argues that qualitative public health researchers can strengthen dialogue with conventional research paradigms by examining interdependencies, while research on social determinants and health inequities requires expanded theories, methodologies, and participant involvement.

From Research to Impact

A study of UK public health researchers examined the barriers, challenges, and facilitators affecting real-world impact. Its purpose was to contribute to award-level case studies and build understanding of the researcher-research-user interface in public health. Related case-study collections present research through coherent narratives that explain why it is useful, its policy implications, and other dissemination outputs.

What deeper analysis adds to qualitative research

A qualitative analysis can do more than sort material into themes: social theory can shape both how researchers analyze evidence and how they interpret what it means. That distinction is between organizing observations and using them to build an account of the social processes behind them.[1] [2]

Reflexive memoing gives researchers a way to examine how their position, relationships, biases, and power dynamics may affect analysis and its results. It makes the researcher’s influence visible, but does not by itself establish that an interpretation is correct.[3] [4]

How qualitative inquiry is discussed across public health

A review mapped qualitative work on how research evidence is used in health policy-making across a wide range of topics and countries over a long publication period. Its breadth shows that qualitative inquiry has been used to examine policy processes, but does not establish what any particular method contributes to policy decisions.[5]

A scoping review identified examples of public health education practices incorporating critical theories of race, including antiracism, intersectionality, and community-engaged approaches. These examples place critical theory in educational practice as well as research, without showing how consistently such approaches are used across public health education.[6]

Later work describes the journal as continuing to welcome qualitative research while clarifying expectations, and another account says research that treats it merely as data collection within quantitative writing conventions is no longer welcome. Together, these citations portray an editorial boundary around what counts as substantive qualitative analysis, not evidence that every published article meets it.[1] [7]

A youth homelessness study cited the call to move beyond superficial interpretation while reframing socioeconomic inclusion; a later methods discussion likewise connects social theory with analytic and interpretive work. These later citations show how the call has been taken up, rather than demonstrating that the approach produces a particular outcome in every setting.[1] [8]

What evidence could clarify critical qualitative practice

  • How can researchers show that a complex-systems analysis captures changing relationships over time rather than offering a snapshot? The review found that many evaluations described systems at a single time point and that practice lacked consensus.[2]
  • How can reflexive accounts make researchers’ influence on interpretation visible while also showing how their analytical claims are grounded? Memoing can surface position, relationships, bias, and power, while reflexivity is described as necessary to ethical and rigorous practice.[3] [4]
  • How do critical theories become sustained parts of public health education, beyond the examples identified in a review? The mapped practices show varied forms of integration but do not establish their reach or effects.[6]

Terms for reading qualitative research

Ontology and epistemology
Assumptions about reality and knowledge[9]

Sources

  1. Introducing SAMMSA, a Five-Step Method for Producing ‘Quality’ Qualitative Analysis (2023)
  2. Qualitative process evaluation from a complex systems perspective: A systematic review and framework for public health evaluators (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Practical Strategies for Health Equity Researchers to Enhance Analytic Rigor and Generate Meaningful Insights From Qualitative DataMinusSASstats (www.cdc.gov)
  4. Power analysis in health policy and systems research: a guide to research conceptualisation (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  5. Mapping the Qualitative Evidence Base on the Use of Research Evidence in Health Policy-Making: A Systematic Review (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  6. Exploring public health education’s integration of critical race theories: A scoping review (www.frontiersin.org)
  7. It’s time to make room for the next: a look back at the last ten years of the Canadian Journal of Public Health (2023)
  8. “When I think about my future, I just see darkness”: How youth exiting homelessness navigate the hazy, liminal space between socioeconomic exclusion and inclusion (2023)
  9. Conducting grounded theories in midwifery research: Practical insights (2026)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.17269/s41997-018-0154-2, Alternate LINK

Title: Beyond Bare Bones: Critical, Theoretically Engaged Qualitative Research In Public Health

Subject: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Journal: Canadian Journal of Public Health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Eric Mykhalovskiy, Joan Eakin, Brenda Beagan, Natalie Beausoleil, Barbara E. Gibson, Mary Ellen Macdonald, Melanie J. Rock

Published: 2018-11-21

Everything You Need To Know

1

What exactly is critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research?

Critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research delves into the quality and essence of social phenomena, focusing on language and visual data rather than numerical representations. It aims to deeply understand human experiences and social contexts. This approach is significant because it allows researchers to explore 'why' behind health issues, providing context and depth that quantitative data alone cannot capture, leading to a richer understanding of complex issues in public health.

2

What are the main goals of critical qualitative research?

The main goals are to promote social justice, challenge existing assumptions, and foster epistemological awareness. Critical research actively promotes social justice and equity, by challenging the status quo and addressing power imbalances. Questioning Assumptions: It rigorously examines and challenges assumptions that are often taken for granted in public health practice and research. Epistemological Awareness: It navigates the tensions between social science and public health, recognizing these as opportunities for deeper understanding and innovation. By focusing on these, public health can uncover root causes of health inequities and develop more effective, socially just interventions.

3

Why is social theory so important in critical qualitative research?

Social theory is crucial because critical qualitative research genuinely engages with foundational social theories to interpret social phenomena. This goes beyond surface-level analysis, providing a richer, more nuanced understanding of the issues at hand. Using theories as labels is not enough. The integration allows researchers to interpret social phenomena in greater detail, which is significant because it moves beyond a shallow understanding, leading to a deeper comprehension of the multifaceted nature of health issues and their social implications. Without this deep dive, the root causes of inequities may be missed.

4

How is the *Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH)* contributing to this type of research?

The modifications made to the *CJPH*'s manuscript submission process and the contributions to public health scholarship are aimed at encouraging the public health community to support the vision of enhancing informed qualitative research. The *Canadian Journal of Public Health (CJPH)* seeks to be recognized as a hub for critical research that incorporates social theory and innovative methodologies. This approach is important to encourage the public health community to support this vision by enhancing informed qualitative research to transform public health. This enhances the journal's role in shaping the future of public health scholarship, which can inform more effective interventions. These contributions are not explicitly detailed but serve as evidence of the journal's commitment to these methods.

5

What are the implications of using critical, theoretically engaged qualitative research?

By embracing critical, theoretically engaged qualitative inquiry, public health researchers and practitioners can unlock new insights and challenge existing paradigms. This approach contributes to more equitable and effective health outcomes for all. The implication of embracing these approaches is significant because it leads to a deeper understanding of health issues and their social context, leading to development of more effective interventions. This marks a pivotal step toward embedding critical, theoretically engaged qualitative inquiry into the core of public health scholarship, leading to positive outcomes.

Newsletter Subscribe

Subscribe to get the latest articles and insights directly in your inbox.