Ethnicity and research evaluating health interventions: Issues of science and ethics

The scientific purpose of ethnicity and health research, as noted by Bhopal and Donaldson (1998: 1304) is ‘elucidating the causes of diseases and the interplay between cultural factors and health’. Its practical purpose is ‘ensuring that services and policies are appropriate’. The element missing from this definition is the requirement that research also identifies those interventions that promote health most effectively. This is the focus of the present chapter.