Across much of modern health research, children are measured—but not always heard. For much of the past half-century, health research has prioritized the quantitative—numbers, test results, trial outcomes, statistical significance—driving remarkable advances in medicine. Yet in a new analysis, researchers argue quantitative methods cannot fully capture the lived experience, needs and preferences of patients, a limitation that becomes especially clear in pediatric health.

In children, illness often looks and unfolds differently than it does in adults, shaped by developmental stages, family dynamics, school environments and daily realities. When those factors are overlooked, even proven interventions can falter—not because the science is flawed, but because researchers have not fully understood how children and families experience care.

The result can be a disconnect between evidence and impact—reflected in ongoing vaccine-preventable disease, rising mental health needs and persistent nutrition challenges.

"The issue isn't a lack of science," said Sara Malone, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. "It's that we don't always ask the right questions—or the right people."

That premise anchors a paper, with Malone as first author, published in eClinicalMedicine. The paper, "Advancing Child Health Through Applied Qualitative Research," was developed with an international group of pediatric clinicians and scientists and emerged from a 2024 symposium that examined how qualitative approaches can better inform research across conditions and settings.