Series: Public engagement with research. Part 2: GPs and primary care researchers working inclusively with minoritised communities in health research to help address inequalities.

European Journal of General Practice 2024, VOL. 30, NO. 1, 2322996 https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2024.2322996 OPINION PAPER Series: Public engagement with research. Part 2: GPs and primary care researchers working inclusively with minoritised communities in health research to help address inequalities Yumna Masooda , Anica Alvarez Nishiob Steven Blackburnf , Esther van Vlietg , Bella Starlingc , Shoba Dawsond and Carina A.C.M Pittensh , Jon Salsberge , Centre for Evidence Based Medicine | Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences |, University of Oxford Radcliffe Primary Care Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; bPublic Contributor, London, UK; cManchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; d Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; eUniversity of Limerick, Family Medicine Limerick, Limerick, Ireland; f Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; gAcademic Collaborative Centers, Knowledge Transfer Office, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; hAthena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands a KEY MESSAGES • There is an important need to engage with minoritised communities in primary care research • Engaging diverse communities in research helps produce relevant research to address health inequalities. • The exclusion of minoritised communities from research can be addressed by taking action towards more inclusive engagement. ABSTRACT Public engagement in health research is vital for addressing health disparities and promoting inclusivity among minoritised communities who often face barriers to accessing healthcare. Minoritised communities are groups, which have been made minorities by a dominant culture, race, ethnic group and/or social class and may experience health inequalities as a result. By incorporating diverse perspectives and lived experiences of minoritised communities, this approach aims to achieve contextually relevant research outcomes that reduce health inequalities and improve overall well-being. However, underrepresentation and lack of inclusivity challenges persist, necessitating the establishment of inclusive partnerships and grassroots participatory methodologies. To foster inclusive public engagement, it is important to overcome structural and cultural barriers, address socioeconomic challenges, and build trust with minoritised communities. This can be achieved by promoting a cultural shift that values inclusivity, providing comprehensive training to researchers, and collecting rigorous data on engagement demographics for transparency and accountability. Involving minoritised communities in decision-making through participatory research approaches enhances trust and yields successful outcomes. Additionally, allocating sufficient resources, collaborating in co-production, and prioritising the diverse needs and perspectives of stakeholders contribute to fostering inclusive public engagement in research. Overall, inclusive engagement practices particularly in primary care research have the potential to reduce health inequalities and cater to the unique requirements of minoritised communities, thereby creating more impactful outcomes and promoting equitable healthcare access. Introduction There is growing evidence of inequalities in access to and outcomes from primary care [1]. As consideration ARTICLE HISTORY Received 4 July 2023 Revised 5 February 2024 Accepted 20 February 2024 KEYWORDS Public engagement; health inequalities; minoritised communities; primary care of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in healthcare becomes a growing global priority, GPs and primary care researchers are uniquely placed to address the CONTACT Yumna Masood ; Centre for Evidence Based Medicine | Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences | University of Oxford Radcliffe Primary Care Building, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2024.2322996. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. 2 Y. MASOOD ET AL. challenges of inequality experienced by many communities. Minoritised individuals and communities can be defined as those ‘whose collective cultural, economic, political and social power has been eroded through the targeting of identity in active processes that sustain structures of hegemony’ [2]. ‘Minoritised’ is not a simple concept. It portrays the systematic and societal structures and processes that place different sets of people and communities in inequitable places. Communities can be minoritised due to individual factors (e.g. physical or mental abilities), structural factors (e.g. a person’s location in a hierarchical socio-cultural society), personal circumstances (e.g. lifestyle choices, geographical location, education and literacy) and (unconscious) bias in those who make decisions [2]. For example, being overweight and obese are more prevalent among adolescents with a low socioeconomic position Intersectionality – the complex interplay of these different forms of inequality and the how this shapes people’s unique experience of and access to healthcare is increasingly recognised [3, 4]. Amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing these inequalities is a challenge faced by primary care clinicians and researchers. As the second of a four-part series, this article builds upon the fundamentals of public engagement in research (Part 1) by discussing the importance of engaging with minoritised communities [5], who experience health inequalities, in primary care research. We provide rationale for public engagement with these communities, surfaces barriers to engagement, and suggests some potential mitigation strategies. We aim to assist GPs and primary care researchers with strategies to improve the inclusivity of research as a means to address health inequalities. Tackling health inequalities through engagement with minoritised communities in research Engaging with minoritised communities, as users of primary care research, is seen as crucial in (a) preventing or overcoming health inequalities [6]; (b) ensuring that research is generalisable, contextualised and needs-oriented, and therefore viewed by minoritised communities as legitimate; and (c) that it does not perpetuate existing inequalities but rather benefits all of society [7]. Public engagement is used to describe the many ways that p (...truncated)