Rights to Social Determinants of Flourishing: A Paradigm for Disability and Public Health Research and Policy

Date

2019-07-24

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

ISSN

1471-2458

Volume Title

Publisher

BMC Public Health

Type

Article

Peer reviewed

Yes

Abstract

Background: The term evidence based medicine (EBM) was introduced in the early 1990s in clinical medicine to educate clinicans about how to assess the ‘credibility’ of research to ensure best treatments for their patients. The EBM paradigm has become more diffuse in times of austerity and randomised controlled designs (RCTs) are being used to address complex issues in public health and disability research. This research is not addressing inequalities in terms of diisability nor how people can live well with disabilities.

Main text: We argue that there are four ways that public health research needs to change if it wants to address inequalities linked to disability: 1) rethinking theoretical connections between public health and disability; 2) building ethics and equity into interventions through a human rights approach; 3) ensuring ethical inclusion through intersectionality; and 4) evaluating policy and other social impacts to ensure they capture diversity. We argue that these are key issues to building a social determinants of flourishing.

Conclusions: We need to understand how disability might have an accumulative impact across the life course, as well as how to ensure equity for people living with disabilities. This means conceptualising a social determinants of flourishing where we evaluate how exactly RCTs and public health interventions, not only lead to greater equality but also ensure rights to health and wellbeing.

Description

open access article

Keywords

public health, randomised controlled trial, disability, intervention, flourishing, social determinants

Citation

Berghs, M.; Atkin, K., Hatton, C. and Thomas, C. (2019) Rights to Social Determinants of Flourishing? A Paradigm for Disability and Public Health Research and Policy. BMC Public Health, 19, 997

Rights

Research Institute