Abstract

IDROVO, Álvaro Javier. Toward a pluralistic public health: the case of pesticides and human health. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2005, vol.7, n.3, pp.349-359. ISSN 0124-0064.

Suggesting that epidemiology should be employed as the standard means of studying public health problems. Some authors have called for the use of qualitative research methods during the last few decades due to the complexity of sanitary problems. The complementary use of quantitative and qualitative methods is conservative and limited, which is why it is suggested that public health should use diverse epistemological approaches and not just conjugate quantitative and qualitative methods. The case of pesticides and their effect on human health is used as an example to show different theoretical models’ contribution towards and limitations on public health (i.e. sanitary, biomedical, classical epidemiological, hygienist-preventative, ecological, social-epidemiological, economic, material-historical and neoconservative) as well as expressing the need to use different epistemological approaches. An integrated approach will lead to more pluralist and democratic public health.

Keywords : Qualitative research; knowledge; public health; pesticide.

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