ArticleBMC public health2022
Considering social inequalities in health in large-scale testing for COVID-19 in Montréal: a qualitative case study.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- The pursuit of equity in COVID-19 policy and policymaking: A qualitative systematic review.Open research Europe · 2025Pooled it
- Challenges and Limitations in Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The influence of public health organization on response to the COVID-19 pandemic in four Canadian provinces: A comparative qualitative analysis.Health policy OPEN · 2025Review
- Characteristics associated with SARS-CoV-2 testing, infection and vaccine uptake among essential non-healthcare workers in Montréal, 2021.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2024Article
- Practice- and System-Based Interventions to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission in Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2023Article
- "It felt like building a plane while in flight": the consideration of social inequalities in the design and planning of a contact-tracing intervention for COVID-19 in Montreal, Quebec.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2023Article
- A Descriptive Comparison of Mass Testing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Montreal, Paris, Bamako, and Recife.International journal of public health · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEvidence continues to demonstrate that certain marginalised populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. While many studies document the impacts of COVID-19 on social inequalities in health, none has examined how public health responses to the pandemic have unfolded to address these inequities in Canada. The purpose of our study was to assess how social inequalities in health were considered in the design and planning of large-scale COVID-19 testing programs in Montréal (Québec, Canada).
methodsPart of the multicountry study HoSPiCOVID, this article reports on a qualitative case study of large-scale testing for COVID-19 in Montréal. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 stakeholders involved in planning large-scale testing or working with vulnerable populations during the pandemic. We developed interview guides and a codebook using existing literature on policy design and planning, and analysed data deductively and inductively using thematic analysis in NVivo.
resultsOur findings suggest that large-scale COVID-19 testing in Montréal did not initially consider social inequalities in health in its design and planning phases. Considering the sense of urgency brought by the pandemic, participants noted the challenges linked to the uptake of an intersectoral approach and of a unified vision of social inequalities in health. However, adaptations were gradually made to large-scale testing to improve its accessibility, acceptability, and availability. Actors from the community sector, among others, played an important role in supporting the health sector to address the needs of specific subgroups of the population.
conclusionsThese findings contribute to the reflections on the lessons learned from COVID-19, highlighting that public health programs must tackle structural barriers to accessing healthcare services during health crises. This will be necessary to ensure that pandemic preparedness and response, including large-scale testing, do not further increase social inequalities in health.
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