Module 3: Data for Health Justice
Dr Julia Pescarini
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Featuring:
Prof Ilan Kelman
University College London
In this lesson, Daniel and Araceli from the Centric Lab team join Prof Ilan Kelman and Dr Julia Pescarini to anlayse a case study on how research is used to draw conclusions that are used to support structural decisions affecting people's health and environment.
Key Learnings: Definitions
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An area-wide traffic management scheme aimed at reducing or removing through traffic from residential areas, put in place using traffic signed restrictions or physical measures such as planters or bollards.
Key Learnings: Our Thoughts
Scientific studies are smaller concise investigations that draw from a more complex set of conditions and contribute back to the wider scientific discourse around a topic.
The ability to translate conclusions of studies to community application through planning and policy is not guaranteed to be in the skill set or job responsibilities of a researcher.
The LTN study looked at traffic and nitrous dioxide as variables in the study which are much more specific than the wide range of factors people use to determine health in practice. This argument does not negate the quality of work produced with their chosen variables.
It is entirely possible that research done within a field relevant to your advocacy (e.g. air pollution, heat waves, food scarcity) doesn’t directly affect decisions that are related to you.
How the results and conclusion from the study were represented, including by one of the coauthors, highlights the difference in communicating the same outcomes to a different audience with a different purpose.
More collaboration between community and formal researchers could help outcomes be better understood.
What in this lesson stood out for you?
Debate Questions
These questions are framed to help you apply your own experience and perspectives to points raised in this lesson.
Have you encountered any placemaking initiatives impacting your community that have been supported by research, like LTNs?
What type of responsibilities for the communication of their research do you believe scientists should have?
What type of relationship would you want with researchers working on topics that could have policy or planning impacts in your community?
How To…
Understand the place of pollution research in health advocacy
Use this case study to practice applying research to your health justice advocacy with a critical:
The LTN study
In particular, the introduction gives you an idea of the context that brought them to do this research and the discussion informs you on limitations, where they see the results applying, and further investigations to consider.
Imperial article on the LTN study
After looking at the study, read the article and highlight points that are relevant to how your community may be impacted. Consider if there were parts of the study that you think should be emphasised more.
Check out the Low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce pollution in surrounding streets article
Next Lesson:
Module 3 Lesson 4