L8928 Inequalities and Social Policy Summative Assessment 1: Critical Review Essay

L8928 Assessment 1: Critical Review Essay (worth 50% of your final module grade).

Word count: 2500 words. 

Instructions:

Critically review academic literature on a selected example of health inequality from an intersectionality perspective. Choose from the list of topics/contexts below.

Whichever option you choose, you must:

• Review the five recommended studies.
• Include at least one additional article that you have identified as relevant to your case study (i.e. you cannot *only* review the suggested sources – you must be able to show that you can search for and identify relevant literature). 
• Introduce the concept of intersectionality, with reference to key sources (see Session 1 readings).
• Answer the question you have chosen, which means you will need to briefly synthesise the literature you are reviewing, to explain what these studies suggest are the causes of your chosen inequality. 
• Consider whether (and how) the concept of intersectionality has been employed in the literature you are reviewing. If not (or if only to a limited extent), consider whether (and why) research or analysis taking a more intersectional approach might be useful. 
• You may want to include studies that use different methodological approaches (e.g. include some that use quantitative methods and some that use qualitative methods) and consider how well aligned (or not) the findings of studies using different methods are (and why this might be); and how different methodological approaches may enable the adoption of an intersectional perspective. 
• To critically assess included studies, you may find it useful to start thinking about each study’s strengths and limitations. To help with this, you may like to consider applying some critical appraisal checklists. For examples, see: CASP Checklists - Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (casp-uk.net). Stronger essays will be able to make connections between single studies, comparing them and contrasting them, and appraising them collectively as well as individually.

Option 1: Inequalities in adverse birth outcomes in the U.S.

Langer, P.D., Patler, C., Hamilton, E. R. (2024); Adverse Infant Health Outcomes Increased After the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Among Non-White U.S.-born and Foreign-born Mothers. Demography; 61 (4): 1211–1239. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-11477581
Harper-Hanigan, K., Ross, G., Sims, T. et al. (2017).  Women’s Perspectives of Needs Surrounding Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Qualitative Assessment of the Neighborhood Impact of Adverse Birth Outcomes. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21, 2219–2228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2343-7
Borrell, L.N. , Bolúmar, F., Rodriguez-Alvarez, E.,  Nieves, C.I. (2022). Adverse birth outcomes in New York City women: Revisiting the Hispanic Paradox, Social Science & Medicine, 315, 115527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115527
Curtis, D.S., Waitzman, N., Kramer, M.R., Shakib, J.H. (2024). Structural barriers to health care as risk factors for preterm and small-for-gestational-age birth among US-born Black and White mothers, Health & Place, 85, 103177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103177.
Margerison-Zilko, C.E., Li, Y.,  Zi Luo, Z.  (2017) Economic Conditions During Pregnancy and Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Singleton Live Births in the United States, 1990–2013, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 186, Issue 10, 15 November 2017, Pages 1131–1139, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx179

Option 2: Inequalities in childhood immunisation rates in India

Krishnamoorthy Y, Kannusamy S, Sarveswaran G, Majella MG, Sarkar S, Narayanan V. Factors related to vaccine hesitancy during the implementation of Measles-Rubella campaign 2017 in rural Puducherry-A mixed-method study. J Family Med Prim Care. 2019 Dec 10;8(12):3962-3970. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_790_19. PMID: 31879644; PMCID: PMC6924217.
Nair, A.T., Nayar, K.R., Koya, S.F. et al. Social media, vaccine hesitancy and trust deficit in immunization programs: a qualitative enquiry in Malappuram District of Kerala, India. Health Res Policy Sys 19
Srivastava, S., Fledderjohann, J. & Upadhyay, A.K. Explaining socioeconomic inequalities in immunisation coverage in India: new insights from the fourth National Family Health Survey (2015–16). BMC Pediatr 20, 295 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02196-5
A.L. Wagner, A.R. Shotwell, M.L. Boulton, B.F. Carlson, J.L. Mathew Demographics of vaccine hesitancy in Chandigarh, India Front Med, 7 (2021 Jan 15), p. 1062
Wahl, B., Gupta, M., Erchick, D.J. et al. Change in full immunization inequalities in Indian children 12–23 months: an analysis of household survey data. BMC Public Health 21, 841 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10849-y

Option 3: Inequalities in non-communicable diseases in Iran

Bahadori M, Ravangard R. Analysis of the Systematic Relationships among Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and Identification of Their Prioritization in Iran Using DEMATEL Technique. Iran J Public Health. 2013 Dec;42(12):1457-64. PMID: 26060648; PMCID: PMC4441943. 
Fattahi, N., Azadnajafabad, S., Mohammadi, E. et al. Geographical, gender and age inequalities in non-communicable diseases both at national and provincial levels in Iran. J Diabetes Metab Disord (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-020-00713-y
Khorrami, Z., Rezapour, M., Etemad, K. et al. The patterns of Non-communicable disease Multimorbidity in Iran: A Multilevel Analysis. Sci Rep 10, 3034 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59668-y
Rezaei, N., Moghaddam, S.S., Farzadfar, F. et al. Social determinants of health inequity in Iran: a narrative review. J Diabetes Metab Disord 22, 5–12 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-022-01141-w
Parvizy, A.,Kiani, K. & Ivbijaro, G. (2013) Women's Health Bridges and Barriers: A Qualitative Study, Health Care for Women International, 34:3-4, 193-208, DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2012.740108

Option 4: Inequalities in maternal health in Nigeria

Suggested case study specific sources:

Ajayi, A., Akpan, W. (2019). Maternal Outcomes in the Context of Free Maternal Healthcare Provisioning in North Central and South Western Nigeria. In: Anson, J., Bartl, W., Kulczycki, A. (eds) Studies in the Sociology of Population. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94869-0_12
Nwosu, C.O., Ataguba, J.E. Socioeconomic inequalities in maternal health service utilisation: a case of antenatal care in Nigeria using a decomposition approach. BMC Public Health 19, 1493 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7840-8
Okoli, C., Hajizadeh, M., Rahman, M.M. et al. Geographical and socioeconomic inequalities in the utilization of maternal healthcare services in Nigeria: 2003–2017. BMC Health Serv Res 20, 849 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05700-w
Okoli, C.I., Hajizadeh, M., Rahman, M.M. et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in teenage pregnancy in Nigeria: evidence from Demographic Health Survey. BMC Public Health 22, 1729 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14146-0
Sanni Yaya, Friday Okonofua, Lorretta Ntoimo, Ogochukwu Udenige, Ghose Bishwajit, Gender inequity as a barrier to women’s access to skilled pregnancy care in rural Nigeria: a qualitative study, International Health, Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2019, Pages 551–560, https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihz019

Option 5: Inequalities in life expectancy in Scotland

Garnham, L. (2014) Understanding the impacts of industrial change and area-based deprivation on health inequalities, using Swidler’s concepts of cultured capacities and strategies of action. Social Theory & Health, 13:1-32. 
Kapilashrami, A & Marsden, S. (2018) Examining intersectional inequalities in access to health (enabling) resources in disadvantaged communities in Scotland: advancing the participatory paradigm. International Journal for Equity in Health, 24;17(1):83.
Lorimer, K., McMillan, L., McDaid, L., Milne, D., Russell, S. & Hunt, K. (2018) Exploring masculinities, sexual health and wellbeing across areas of high deprivation in Scotland: The depth of the challenge to improve understandings and practices. Health & Place, 50: 27-41. 
N. Miall, G. Fergie and A. Pearce (2022) Health Inequalities in Scotland: Trends in deaths, health and wellbeing, health behaviours, and health services since 2000, Institution: University of Glasgow 2022 doi: 10.36399/gla.pubs.282637/
D. Walsh, G. McCartney, C. Collins, M. Taulbut, G.D. Batty, History, politics and vulnerability: explaining excess mortality in Scotland and Glasgow, Public Health, Volume 151, 2017, Pages 1-12, ISSN 0033-3506,