Researching local public health priorities in the locked down city using online community focus groups: Reflections and recommendations

Abstract

In this commentary paper we reflect on our experiences of conducting two qualitative public health projects in Leicester UK around health inequalities and marginalised groups during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. To contextualise the commentary, we first provide information about Leicester and how and why it was disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as well as describing the origins, aims, and methodologies of the two projects. In the second half, we describe and evaluate some of the adaptations we made to our studies and conclude with suggestions for future qualitative community health research as we adapt to the post-pandemic research landscape.

Keywords

• Community engagement
• Focus groups
• Public health
• COVID-19
• Digital poverty
• Ethics