Clinical Scorecard: Engaging Critical Feminist Epidemiology: Insights from a Collaborative Effort Between Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Academic Scholars

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Critical feminist epidemiology centers lived experiences of minoritized genders to identify interventions reducing health inequities.
• It builds upon social epidemiology and community-based participatory research to produce actionable, community-relevant evidence.
• The approach promotes equitable researcher-participant partnerships and acknowledges the political nature of research.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Incorporate intersectional analysis of social constructs such as gender, race, and discrimination in epidemiologic studies.
• Use community-engaged methods to identify relevant health determinants and inequities.

Management

• Apply community-based participatory research principles to co-produce knowledge with affected populations.
• Develop interventions informed by community-led research to address structural and social determinants of health.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Engage community partners continuously to ensure research relevance and responsiveness to evolving health equity needs.
• Monitor the impact of interventions on reducing health inequities among minoritized gender populations.

Risks

• Avoid reinforcing existing inequities by maintaining equitable power dynamics in research partnerships.
• Be aware of the political implications of research and strive to prevent exacerbation of marginalization.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Latina and Indigenous immigrant women and other gender-expansive minoritized groups

Community-led research approaches enhance relevance and effectiveness of health interventions by centering lived experience and promoting empowerment.

Clinical Best Practices

• Integrate critical feminist perspectives to address social and structural determinants in epidemiologic research.
• Foster equitable partnerships between academic researchers and community members throughout the research process.
• Utilize intersectional frameworks to capture complex experiences of marginalization affecting health.
• Translate research findings into actionable interventions aimed at health equity.
• Recognize and address the political dimensions inherent in health research.

References

• American Journal of Epidemiology participatory research examples
• Community-Based Participatory Research and Health Equity
• Intersectionality and Health Inequities