Disrupting Public Health Disparities toward Equity: a conceptual investigation using systems thinking and systems science

Battle-Fisher, Michele

Abstract

Submitted for the requirements of the PhD by Published Work, this reflective chapter offers a conceptual introduction to the complex nature of public health (PH) disparities experienced by certain marginalized populations in public health policy and bioethics. This critical investigation uses systems thinking (ST), systems science (SS), and complexity science (CS). This compilation of published works diverts from sole reliance on reductionism to unpack PH outcomes to decipher marginalizing inequities within complex systems. This analysis is important because approaches and methods in PH customarily utilize reductionist research questions and methods at the expense of not discerning the inherent complexity of health. The purpose of the investigation is to apply ST to the important PH issue of health disparities for policy and ethics, particularly that of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and sexual and gender minority (SGM, colloquially known as LGBTQIA+) populations in the United States. PH has a long, successful history of working to improve the health of communities using data. However, the macro and meso-level social dynamics require dynamic hypotheses and analysis for dynamic questions associated with disparate health outcomes. While health is a complex phenomenon with multiple interlinking factors, its complexity is often analyzed using functionalist methods. While traditional methods in PH have demonstrated the existence and burden of health disparities, these methods have not captured its structural complexity. PH, as a practice, is a mystery tracker and solver. PH takes observed evidence, which is often translated into data and trends. PH has been instrumental in improving health, evidenced by successes such as infection control, vaccination, and sanitation. On the other hand, PH has not fully harnessed the potential of ST, which leaves a gap in understanding the complexity of systemic health disparities of minoritized groups.

Citation

Battle-Fisher, M. (2024). Disrupting Public Health Disparities toward Equity: a conceptual investigation using systems thinking and systems science. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5085956

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 20, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2025
• Keywords: Business
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5085956
• Additional Information: Business; Faculty of Business, Law and Politics; University of Hull
• Award Date: Nov 13, 2024