Qualitative Methods for Health Research

by Judith Green, Nicki Thorogood, G.J. Melendez-Torres

Overview

Whether you are looking to interpret and evaluate existing health research, or conduct your own, this book discusses every step of the research process, from theory and ethics to data collection, analysis and dissemination.

Clear, engaging and drawing on diverse examples from various health disciplines – from public health and nursing to occupational health and nutrition – this fifth edition:

• Offers detailed guidance on synthesising and integrating evidence, with a new chapter on systematic reviews.
• Fully embeds material on the effective use of digital and social media research in health across all chapters.
• Showcases what health research looks like in practice, with 28 case studies from across the globe.

Ideal for undergraduates, postgraduates and beginner researchers in health and related fields, this book is a vital resource for building your confidence in understanding and doing qualitative research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529616873
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	07/10/2025
Series:	Introducing Qualitative Methods series
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.68(h) x (d)

About the Author

Judith Green has degrees in anthropology and sociology, and a Ph D in the sociology of health. She has taught research methods to a wide range of students over the last 30 years, including undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students and health professionals from nursing, medicine, public health and sociology. She is currently Professor of Sociology at the University of Exeter, and Honorary Professor, in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. She has held posts at the King’s College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and London South Bank University. Judith has broad substantive interests in the sociology of health and health services, and has researched and published on primary care, professional identity, accidental injury, public understanding of risk and the relationships between transport and well-being. She is currently co-editor of the Journal of Critical Public Health. Other publications include Risk and misfortune: The social construction of accidents (1997, Taylor & Francis); Critical perspectives in public health, co-edited with Ronald Labonté (2008, Routledge) and Analysing health policy: A sociological approach (1998, Longman), also co-authored with Nicki Thorogood.

Nicki Thorogood’s first degree was in sociology and social anthropology, and she has a Ph D in the sociology of health from the University of London. She has over 30 years’ experience of teaching undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students and health professionals from nursing, medicine, public health and sociology She is currently Programme Director for the Dr PH (Doctorate in Public Health) at LSHTM as well as supervising several research degree students. Before coming to LSHTM (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) in 1999 she held posts at Middlesex University and at Guy’s, King’s and Thomas’s School of Medicine and Dentistry (GKT).

Her research interests are primarily in qualitative research into aspects of ‘identity’, e.g. ethnicity, gender, disability and sexuality and in the sociology of the body. She is also interested in the intersection of mental health with public health and health promotion. She is Series Editor, with Rosalind Plowman, of the Understanding Public Health series of textbooks published by Open University Press.

G.J. Melendez-Torres is Professor of Clinical and Social Epidemiology at the University of Exeter, where he also holds the cities RISE Research Chair in Public Mental Health. A registered nurse, G.J. also holds degrees in economics, social intervention and public health. His substantive interests include child and adolescent health (particularly adolescent social health in school contexts) and gender-based violence, including in international contexts, accompanied closely by methodological interests in evaluation and evidence synthesis (particularly of qualitative research). As an educator, he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2023 for innovation in teaching public health research methods at postgraduate level.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Principles and Approaches in Qualitative Health Research
1. Qualitative Methodology in Health
2. The Role of Theory
3. Developing Research Proposals
4. Responsibilities, Ethics and Values
Part 2. Generating Data
5. Interviews
6. Group Interviews and Discussions
7. Ethnographic and Observational Methods
8. Using Secondary Sources
Part 3. Managing and Analysing Data
9. Beginning Data Analysis
10. Developing Qualitative Analysis
Part 4. Qualitative Research in Practice
11. Integrating Methods and Disciplines
12. Reading, Appraising and Reviewing
13. Synthesizing Qualitative Evidence
14. Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination

Editorial Reviews

A thoughtful, thorough and readable account of the history and current practice of qualitative research in health.

Louise Keogh

An enormously helpful resource for anyone interested in interpreting and conducting qualitative health research. In addition to describing complex social theory in an easily digestible style, it also provides a practical ‘how to’ guide for all the stages of qualitative data collection, analysis and dissemination. Filled with useful examples, it brings qualitative health research to life in a way that is both engaging and highly accessible. It is a must read for students and experienced scholars alike!

Sara Cooper

This book is the clear and extensive introduction to qualitative health research. It is useful for all under and post graduate students, and even for Ph Ds with quantitative background.

Kirsi Lumme-Sandt

This new edition of Green and Thorogood’s excellent textbook should be required reading for health professionals considering undertaking qualitative research. Along with a practical introduction to the theory and methods of qualitative research, this revised edition expands on the importance of theory for qualitative research, the use of secondary sources and digital methods in data collection and the integration of methods, disciplines and designs within research. It continues to be a core text for any qualitative methods training for students in health and related disciplines.

Stephen Clayton

Revised and updated for a third edition, Green and Thorogood’s excellent textbook provides a solid grounding for health professionals in the theory and practice of qualitative research methods. This new edition, with an increased focus on data management and analysis, will remain the core qualitative methods textbook for our Master in Public Health Programme.

Dr Stephen Clayton

"The authors offer a dense, thorough, and articulate introduction to the use, value, conduct and critique of qualitative research for health care and social science researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. This book's clear organization allows readers to focus in more depth on particular areas of interest. "

M. D. Lagerwey

A thoughtful, thorough and readable account of the history and current practice of qualitative research in health.

--Louise Keogh (6/14/2017 12:00:00 AM)

An enormously helpful resource for anyone interested in interpreting and conducting qualitative health research. In addition to describing complex social theory in an easily digestible style, it also provides a practical 'how to' guide for all the stages of qualitative data collection, analysis and dissemination. Filled with useful examples, it brings qualitative health research to life in a way that is both engaging and highly accessible. It is a must read for students and experienced scholars alike!

--Sara Cooper

This book is the clear and extensive introduction to qualitative health research. It is useful for all under and post graduate students, and even for PhDs with quantitative background.
--Kirsi Lumme-Sandt (6/16/2017 12:00:00 AM)

This new edition of Green and Thorogood's excellent textbook should be required reading for health professionals considering undertaking qualitative research. Along with a practical introduction to the theory and methods of qualitative research, this revised edition expands on the importance of theory for qualitative research, the use of secondary sources and digital methods in data collection and the integration of methods, disciplines and designs within research. It continues to be a core text for any qualitative methods training for students in health and related disciplines.
--Stephen Clayton (10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

"The authors offer a dense, thorough, and articulate introduction to the use, value, conduct and critique of qualitative research for health care and social science researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. This book's clear organization allows readers to focus in more depth on particular areas of interest. "

M.D. Lagerwey