Study title

United Kingdom

Individual

Organization

A research team comprising university researchers and policy and practice professionals designed and implemented an online survey and a stakeholder workshop.SurveyThe online survey was designed based on our understanding of the intersectionality literature, especially in relation to health inequalities research. We identified the key issues and debates in the literature, for example, in relation to topics around categorization, complexity, heterogeneity and targeting/tailoring policies. We designed the questions so that respondents were able to easily raise these themes but purposely asked questions in a balanced, neutral and easy to understand manner, following the principles of Dillman’s Tailored Design Method. We piloted the survey with a policy and practice respondent and academic colleagues, which resulted in numerous improvements mostly around simplifying the language.We designed two questionnaires, one tailored for researchers and one for policy and practice professionals. Shared topics included familiarity with the term and concept of “intersectionality”, general reactions to it, and practical issues and barriers to its uptake. Respondents were also asked their opinion on two aforementioned specific policy suggestions—intersectionally targeting and tailoring interventions, and evaluating the intersectional effects of policies. Sociodemographic information was collected. Policy and practice professionals were additionally asked how health inequalities are currently understood within their work arena and were asked questions about a vignette referencing gender, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic background. Researchers were asked about three specific research challenges—categorization, intersectional heterogeneity, and policy and practice relevance.The survey was advertised on academic mailing lists, Twitter, and policy and practice networks. These were wide ranging with both national and local (mostly in the North of England) coverage and included for example Age UK, NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) School for Public Health Research, the Centre for Ageing Better, various city councils and academic departments/centres/institutes as well as various relevant JiscMail mailing lists. Direct invitations were also sent via existing contacts and respondents were asked to suggest further potential respondents, who were also invited. The survey was advertised for four months prior to the workshop.WorkshopThe workshop created an opportunity for detailed dialogue around the idea of intersectionality. Specific aims were to explore the potential of intersectionality for understanding and/or tackling health inequalities; share examples of how intersectionality can be applied in health inequalities practice and research; address challenges; and identify potential ways to advance intersectional approaches.We invited people from a range of backgrounds via the survey and direct invitation. For the latter, we invited stakeholders who we established a relationship with as part of the project the work is based on, and also drew upon existing stakeholder relationships from previous projects. The workshop was held at the University of Sheffield in May 2019 and lasted for one day, with 23 people attending. It included presentations from practice and research, subgroup discussions, and a concluding plenary discussion. Three note-takers took detailed notes. For the subgroup discussions facilitators were given a topic guide, as well as practical tasks centred on engaging with illustrative survey responses. We aimed for a dialectical engagement at the workshop by feeding survey responses back to participants to expand them in the group setting, allowing for wider reflections.