What is Study Design

The existence of disparities in health has gained national attention. While disparities in communication disorders undoubtedly exist, little research has documented these disparities. Disparities may occur across categories such as race/ethnicity, age, sex/gender, geographic, and socioeconomic status. In order to heighten awareness of existing disparities in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), this chapter focuses on designing and conducting research to identify and explain disparities among population subgroups. The chapter consists of seven sections: 1) Challenges in Defining Variables for Measuring Health Disparities, 2) Other Data Considerations, 3) Thinking Beyond the Traditionally Measured Sociodemographic Variables, 4) Causal Pathways Between Social Determinants and Health Outcomes, 5) Research Designs, 6) Research Frameworks, and 7) Theories of Contextual Factors. The goal of this chapter is to offer information that assist CSD researchers in systematically identifying, analyzing, and addressing health disparities in CSD.