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Qualitative and mixed methods: informing and enhancing exposure science

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Addressing complex environmental health challenges necessitates the integration of multiple research methodologies to fully understand the social, economic, and health impacts of exposure to environmental hazards. Qualitative and mixed methods (QMM) are vital in uncovering the sociocultural dynamics that influence people’s interactions with their environment and subsequent health-related outcomes. QMM has the potential to reveal insights that quantitative methods might overlook. However, QMM approaches have been underutilized in exposure science, with less than 1% of the studies published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (JESEE) from 2003 to 2023 employing these methods. JESEE studies that utilized QMM have enhanced exposure assessment, explored risk perceptions, and evaluated the impact of interventions, particularly among historically marginalized populations. QMM approaches have addressed gaps in traditional exposure assessment by allowing researchers to capture nuanced perspectives often missed by quantitative analyses, especially in understanding the lived experiences of affected communities. Exposure scientists are encouraged to adopt QMM to advance more comprehensive and inclusive approaches to studying and mitigating environmental risks. Fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate the social sciences can enhance the development of robust, context-sensitive solutions to environmental health challenges.

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Funding

This work was supported, in part, by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30ES019776, the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University under award number P30CA138292, and the University of Arizona’s President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Denise Moreno Ramírez

  2. Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Barcelona, Spain

    Ashby Lavelle Sachs

  3. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    Ashby Lavelle Sachs

  4. Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

    Ashby Lavelle Sachs

  5. Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Christine C. Ekenga

Authors
  1. Denise Moreno Ramírez
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  2. Ashby Lavelle Sachs
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  3. Christine C. Ekenga
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Denise Moreno Ramírez & Christine C. Ekenga; Data curation: Denise Moreno Ramírez, Ashby Lavelle Sachs & Christine C. Ekenga; Formal Analysis: Denise Moreno Ramírez, Ashby Lavelle Sachs & Christine C. Ekenga; Funding Acquisition: Christine C. Ekenga; Investigation: Denise Moreno Ramírez, Ashby Lavelle Sachs & Christine C. Ekenga; Methodology: Denise Moreno Ramírez & Christine C. Ekenga; Project Administration: Christine C. Ekenga; Resources: Denise Moreno Ramírez & Christine C. Ekenga; Supervision: Christine C. Ekenga; Writing – Original Draft: Denise Moreno Ramírez & Christine C. Ekenga; Writing - Review & Editing: Denise Moreno Ramírez, Ashby Lavelle Sachs & Christine C. Ekenga.

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Correspondence to Christine C. Ekenga.

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Ramírez, D.M., Sachs, A.L. & Ekenga, C.C. Qualitative and mixed methods: informing and enhancing exposure science. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00707-5

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