Research Methods - Introduction

Summary

In this global health video, Greg Martin explores the intersection of epidemiological and social science research methods, emphasizing the importance of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. He explains that qualitative research focuses on understanding phenomena through questions like 'who' and 'why,' while quantitative research measures magnitude and relationships. Martin outlines various research techniques, including observation, interviews, surveys, and studies like case-controls and cohort studies, promising deeper dives into these methods in future videos.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The channel focuses on global health, with Greg Martin as the host.
• 🔍 The videos will explore study design and research methods in various fields.
• 🧬 Epidemiological research and social sciences like anthropology are key areas of focus.
• 🤔 The goal is to understand how different research types contribute to clinical and public health decisions.
• 📊 Research methods are typically divided into qualitative and quantitative.
• 👥 Qualitative research is often associated with social sciences and anthropologists.
• 📈 Quantitative research is often linked to epidemiologists and economists.
• 🔎 Both groups actually use both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• 🗣️ Qualitative research answers 'who, what, why, when, and how' questions.
• 📊 Quantitative research focuses on 'how much', including incidence, prevalence, and relationships.
• 🔬 Examples of qualitative research methods include observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
• 🧐 Quantitative research methods include interventional and non-interventional studies, such as case-control, cohort studies, ecological studies, and surveys.
• 📹 Future videos will delve deeper into specific study designs and research methods.
• 🔔 Subscribing to the channel provides updates and exclusive content related to global health job opportunities and consulting.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video series presented by Greg Martin?

The video series focuses on study design and research methods in global health, aiming to provide insights into how different kinds of research contribute to clinical and public health decisions.

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research as discussed in the script?

Qualitative research is concerned with understanding the nature and qualities of phenomena, answering questions like who, what, why, when, and how. Quantitative research, on the other hand, focuses on the magnitude or 'how much' of an occurrence or relationship.

What are the typical disciplines associated with qualitative research according to the script?

Qualitative research is typically associated with social scientists, anthropologists, and other professionals who aim to understand the underlying nature of phenomena.

What types of questions does quantitative research aim to answer?

Quantitative research aims to answer questions related to the incidence or prevalence of a disease in a community and the magnitude of relationships, such as between a risk factor and an outcome.

What are some examples of qualitative research methods mentioned in the script?

Qualitative research methods mentioned include simple observation, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus groups, and surveys.

What are the two main categories of quantitative research described in the script?

The two main categories of quantitative research are interventional and non-interventional. Non-interventional research is observational, while interventional research involves some form of intervention.

What is the difference between case-control studies and cohort studies as hinted in the script?

The script suggests that future videos will discuss the differences between case-control studies and cohort studies, which are both types of observational studies used in quantitative research.

What is an ecological study as mentioned in the script?

An ecological study is a type of observational research that analyzes the distribution and patterns of health-related events in defined populations.

What is the most commonly discussed type of interventional trial in the script?

The script mentions that the most commonly discussed type of interventional trial is the randomized control trial, including double-blind randomized control trials.

Why might someone subscribe to Greg Martin's YouTube channel according to the script?

Subscribing to the channel provides email alerts for new videos and access to exclusive content, particularly for those interested in job opportunities and consulting work in global health.

What kind of additional videos can subscribers expect to find on Greg Martin's channel?

Subscribers can expect to find less formal, less flashy videos that discuss job opportunities and current happenings in the global health workspace.

Outlines

00:00

🔬 Introduction to Research Methods in Global Health

Greg Martin introduces a series of videos on study design and research methods in global health. He emphasizes the importance of understanding how epidemiological and social science research contribute to clinical and public health decisions. Martin clarifies a common misconception by explaining that both social scientists and epidemiologists use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative research focuses on understanding phenomena through questions of who, what, why, when, and how, while quantitative research measures magnitude, such as disease incidence or the strength of a risk factor's association with an outcome. Martin provides an overview of various research methods, including observation, interviews, focus groups, surveys for qualitative research, and interventional and non-interventional studies, case-control studies, cohort studies, ecological studies, surveys, and randomized control trials for quantitative research. He concludes by encouraging viewers to subscribe for updates and exclusive content related to job opportunities and consulting in global health.

Keywords

💡Epidemiological Research

Epidemiological research is a scientific method used to investigate patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. It is crucial for understanding who is at risk for certain diseases and how they can be prevented or controlled. In the video, Greg Martin discusses how epidemiological research fits into the broader scope of global health decisions, emphasizing its quantitative nature and its focus on measuring the incidence or prevalence of diseases.

💡Qualitative Research

Qualitative research involves exploring and understanding social phenomena in terms of the qualities of the individuals involved. It seeks to answer questions like 'who', 'what', 'why', 'when', and 'how' by examining the underlying nature or qualities within a phenomenon. The script mentions that qualitative research is often associated with social scientists and anthropologists and is used to unpack the nature of a phenomenon.

💡Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is concerned with counting and measuring phenomena and testing hypotheses through statistical analysis. It aims to answer questions about 'how much' something occurs, such as the incidence or prevalence of a disease in a community or the strength of a relationship between a risk factor and an outcome. In the video, quantitative research is contrasted with qualitative research, highlighting its focus on magnitude and numerical data.

💡Social Sciences

The social sciences are academic disciplines concerned with society and the relationships among individuals within a society. In the context of the video, social sciences like anthropology are mentioned as fields that typically use qualitative research methods to understand human behavior and social structures.

💡Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures and their development. It is a social science that often employs qualitative research methods to gain deep insights into human experiences and behaviors. The script positions anthropology as a discipline that uses qualitative research to understand the nature of phenomena.

💡Observation

Observation is a research method where researchers systematically watch and record behaviors or events without intervening. It can be a part of both qualitative and quantitative research. In the script, observation is mentioned as a method used in qualitative research, such as observing what happens in a community.

💡In-depth Interviews

In-depth interviews are a qualitative research technique where researchers have detailed, one-on-one conversations with individuals to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences, opinions, and feelings. The video script includes in-depth interviews as a method used to unpack and understand the underlying nature of phenomena.

💡Focus Groups

Focus groups involve moderated discussions with a small group of individuals to gather their opinions and attitudes on a specific topic. They are a qualitative research method used to gain insights into group dynamics and shared perspectives. The script mentions focus groups as a way to speak to a group of people to understand the qualities within a phenomenon.

💡Surveys

Surveys are research tools used to collect data from a large number of people through a series of questions. They can be part of both qualitative and quantitative research. In the video, surveys are mentioned as a method used in both qualitative and quantitative research to understand phenomena or to measure occurrences.

💡Interventional Studies

Interventional studies involve manipulating a particular variable to observe its effects on a group of subjects. They are a type of quantitative research that can include randomized control trials. The script discusses interventional studies as a part of quantitative research, where an intervention is made to observe its impact.

💡Non-interventional Studies

Non-interventional studies, also known as observational studies, involve observing subjects without manipulating any variables. They are a form of quantitative research that can include case-control studies and cohort studies. The video script describes non-interventional studies as a way of observing what happens in the world without intervention.

Highlights

Introduction to global health research methods

Focus on epidemiological and social science research

Exploration of how different research methods contribute to clinical and public health decisions

Differentiation between qualitative and quantitative research

Qualitative research answers 'who, what, why, when, and how' questions

Quantitative research focuses on 'how much' and magnitude

Qualitative research techniques include observation, interviews, focus groups, and surveys

Quantitative research methods include interventional and non-interventional studies

Non-interventional studies involve observing and counting occurrences

Types of non-interventional studies: case-control and cohort studies

Ecological studies as a type of quantitative research

Surveys as a common method in both qualitative and quantitative research

Interventional trials, including randomized control trials

Double-blind randomized control trials

Future videos will delve deeper into specific study designs and methods

Benefits of subscribing to the channel for updates and exclusive content

Exclusive content for subscribers focused on global health job opportunities and consulting

Transcripts

Hello and welcome back to this global health you tube channel.

My name is Greg Martin. We're going to do a few videos that look at study design

and research methods. Now we are going to look at epidemiological

research, we're going to look at the social sciences like anthropology and

essentially we're going to try to unpack how it is that these different kinds of

research fit together to provide us with the science and understanding the industry

to make clinical and public health decisions.

Now typically, people tend to think of research methods in terms of qualitative

research and quantitative research. These two distinct disciplines or two

distinct types of research methods and the qualitative research is the domain

of the social scientists and anthropologists and the quantitative

research is the domain of the epidemiologists and

economist and what I'd like to talk to you a little bit about is the fact that

these two groups of people actually use both sets of research methods.

So let's just jump right in and try to understand

these different research techniques and research methods. Qualitative research tends to answer questions like

who, what, why, when, and how. It tries to unpack and understand the nature of a

phenomenon or the qualities associated with a particular phenomenon.

By contrast quantitative research

answer the question of how much. It considers the idea of magnitude.

So when we talk about magnitude that 'how much' the quantitative research we're

talking about how much of firstly an occurrence,

so the incidence or prevalence of the disease in the community ,

and we're talking about the magnitude or how much of a relationship. So the Association for

example between a risk factor and an outcome.

I'm just going to quickly give you an overview of some of the research

methods used in these two groups of methods: qualitative research, and

quantitative research. In qualitative research we may do a simple observation

of what's happening in a community or you

might be looking down a microscope for example, that is qualitative research. We may do in-depth

interviews or key informant interviews. We may do focus groups and and speak

to a group of people. We may do surveys. All of this is to try and unpack and

understand the underlying nature or qualities within a phenomenon.

The other group the quantitative research now we've got interventional

quantitative research and we've got non-interventional.

By non-interventional we mean it's observational where we're watching

to see what happens in the world and we're counting something up.

So in that sense we might be doing case-control studies and we'll talk more

about that in a future video. We may be doing cohort studies and I'm

specifically going to talk in a future video

about the difference between those two and their relative strengths and weaknesses. We may do an ecological study

and we may of course also be doing a survey and just clicking (unintelligable)

then of course there's the interventional trials and the

one we talk about most are randomized control trials or

double-blind randomized control trials and we're going to do an entire video

that looks specifically at them.

Okay, thanks for listening I hope that was helpful this was just a synopsis, an

overview of the various research methods that we use. In future videos

we're going to dig down a little deeper and look at some of the

details of these different study designs and research methods that gets used.

If you're thinking of subscribing to this channel

let me give you one or two reasons why I think that's a great idea.

Firstly if you subscribe to the channel you get an email alert whenever there is a new

video posted and so you'll be up to date on things that we say and do here on

the channel, but secondly

I seen that video content that goes exclusively to people who subscribe to

the channel.

I think of the people who subscribe to the channel as a kind of a subset

of the broader audiences that are made more likely to be people

that are interested in job opportunities in the global health space and

where it is that they might find opportunities to do consulting work in global health and so

I'm putting together a little less formal a little less flashy but videos

that are just kind of talk people through what's out there and what's

happening in the global health work space. So subscribe to the channel.

Thanks for watching, I'll be back!