Mixed Methods
“Mixed methods” means using both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study–”omics” and “emics” together–in a clear research design.
Omics. We are in an era when omics, such as genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, dominate biomedical research. Through technological advancements of precise measurement of many molecules, we now have large platforms measuring large numbers of molecular markers of disease and disease risk to identify potential causes and mechanisms and treatments. But what is missing is emics.
Emics.Emics is a central concept from anthropology that captures the on-the-ground perspective. Dr. Houghton conceptualizes emics as a foil to omics by bringing the perspective of the population understudy into the framing of causal identification and explanation.
Our lab deploys this mixed-methods approach to capture both biological and cultural drivers of health across diverse populations. This approach expands the scope of epidemiological study to include qualitative methods in causal identification and explanation.
The approach specifically describes which mixed-method study designs can be used to enhance mediation, effect modification, and sources of bias (See Figure).
Mixed-Methods can help epidemiologists incorporate the emic view into many aspects when building their causal model. The 2x2 table is the foundation of epidemiology and quantitative (QUANT) at the core. Qualitive (QUAL) methods can be incorporated either before, during, or after estimating the association between exposure and outcomes. The order in which the QUANT and QUAL methods are used depend on what aspect of the research question needs to be strengthened.
For instance, cancer researchers are typically not well-versed in both biological and socio-cultural drivers of health. However, the two approaches need to be combined if cancer interventions aim to be culturally appropriate and ultimately effective. Pictured below is a mixed-methods approach that can identify biocultural drivers of cancer prevention, through the incorporation of omics and emics. This mixed-methods approach can deepen our understanding of cancer etiology, inform cancer screening for early detection, and guide dissemination and implementation science. We specifically apply this approach to breast cancer across genders and race/ethnicity.
EMICS (Epidemiology and Mixed Methods Informing Causal Studies) is our tool that helps epidemiologists design mixed-methods studies.
Featured Publications:
Houghton LC, Paniagua-Avila A. Why and How Epidemiologists Should Use Mixed Methods. Epidemiology. 2023 Mar 1;34(2):175-185. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001565. Epub 2022 Nov 24. PMID: 36722799; PMCID: PMC9891266
Houghton LC, Qi H. The EMICS Tool to Design Mixed-methods Studies in Epidemiology. Epidemiology. 2024 May 1;35(3):e10-e12. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001718. Epub 2024 Jan 23. PMID: 38261407; PMCID: PMC11022991.
Instructional Videos: