The intersectionality-based policy analysis framework: demonstrating utility through application to the pre-vaccine...

Area of Science:

• Public Health Policy
• Health Equity Research
• Social Justice in Health

Background:

• Limited guidelines exist for developing socially responsible health policy.
• Existing frameworks often struggle to balance data, strategy, and equity considerations.
• The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for equitable public health policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework for its utility in developing equitable health policy.
• To apply the IBPA framework to the U.S. pre-vaccine COVID-19 policy response.
• To assess the IBPA framework's effectiveness in integrating equity into urgent public health solutions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework.
• Applied IBPA's structured questioning process and guiding principles (equity, social justice, power, intersectionality, diversity of knowledge).
• Examined the U.S. pre-vaccine COVID-19 policy response through the IBPA lens.

Main Results:

• The IBPA framework proved effective in integrating equity considerations into policy development for public health challenges.
• IBPA was particularly useful in distinguishing between policy problems and their representations, and their differential impacts.
• The framework's emphasis on short-, medium-, and long-term solutions promotes a vision for an equitable health system.

Conclusions:

• The Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework is a promising tool for creating socially responsible and equitable health policies.
• Applying IBPA to the COVID-19 response demonstrated its practical value in addressing complex public health issues with an equity focus.
• The IBPA framework supports a comprehensive approach, considering immediate needs and long-term systemic change for public health equity.