"Impact? What impact?" Epidemiological research findings in the public domain: a case study from north-east England

Citation
S. Moffatt et al., "Impact? What impact?" Epidemiological research findings in the public domain: a case study from north-east England, SOCIAL SC M, 51(12), 2000, pp. 1755-1769
Citations number
32
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
ISSN journal
02779536 → ACNP
Volume
51
Issue
12
Year of publication
2000
Pages
1755 - 1769
Database
ISI
SICI code
0277-9536(200012)51:12<1755:"WIERF>2.0.ZU;2-P
Abstract
This paper reflects on the dissemination of potentially controversial resea rch evidence about industrial air pollution and health in north-east Englan d. It draws on a participant observation study of the local impact of a fou r-year epidemiological research programme in Teesside. The difficulties in and obstacles to disseminating research findings are explored. It may thus be described as a study of the impact of a study. We look at institutional resistance (including from the funders of the research) to any evidence ind icating adverse health effects from industrial pollution. We also look at t he failure of researchers to surmount such resistance and to communicate ef fectively with those who lived in the vicinity of the major industrial oper ations. This leads us to consider how conflicting notions of accountability coloured dissemination strategies as well as researchers' judgements. We o ffer a critique of fashionable and unduly consensual notions of a 'user com munity', in a context where different 'user communities' had incompatible e xpectations about the purpose of a piece of research and the significance o f the data to emerge from it. The study also highlights the difficulties of disseminating research findings when the topic has the potential to affect economic interests. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.