Fostering discussion on women’s health: International Women’s Day Health Inequalities Workshop

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) case study

Aim

We aimed for women to share their lived experiences of PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and high-risk pregnancies, to raise awareness and inspire others to take action.

Methods

We held an in-person meeting to interact with the 2 public contributors involved.

Involvement included

• The workshop, held on International Women’s Day 2024, brought together researchers, wider university staff and members of the public to discuss and identify suggestions on how to tackle health inequalities for women.
• Screening of a co-created video highlighting cultural challenges and stigma that South-Asian women with PCOS face.
• Sharing personal stories such as racism and lack of cultural understanding in healthcare setting, particularly for migrant women.

Best practice

• Public contributors saw the value in sharing their stories to help tackle issues of health inequalities.
• Public contributors noted that it was great to see how the video produced got people thinking about how culture can play a big role in women’s health.

Impact of PPIE

• Word clouds generated by attendees highlighted key challenges and barriers in addressing inequality within research participation, dissemination and health interventions. Language, time, motivation and support were considered key – offering guiding principles to consider in developing future research proposals.
• Several attendees expressed an interest in learning more about how to participate as well as get involved in women’s health research.

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