Linking Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Integrating Cultural Factors into Public Health

In spite of social science studies documenting their importance, public health programs and policies too often do not adequately incorporate cultural factors. This article suggests that not enough effort has been made to make methodological linkages between qualitative methods used in most cultural studies and the quantitative approaches employed by epidemiologists and others coming from an empirical background. To bridge the gap between the two approaches, researchers should maintain a flexible and pragmatic perspective regarding selection and use of methods. Recent examples of qualitative-quantitative research investigating health and culture relationships are reviewed along with promising new methods, such as consensus analysis. These approaches should help researchers to more effectively study cultural factors in ways compatible with public health perspectives.