• Emma Heard, Lisa Fitzgerald, Britta Wigginton, and Allyson Mutch.
• School of Public Health, University of Queensland, 266 Herston Rd, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia.
• Health Promot Int. 2020 Aug 1; 35 (4): 866-876.

AbstractHealth promotion researchers and practitioners are grappling with how to address growing health inequalities for population groups. In particular, critiques of dominant behaviour change approaches draw attention to the need to engage with social theories to better understand the social and relational drivers of health. Public health researchers are increasingly acknowledging intersectionality as an important theoretical approach, providing a framework for investigating health inequalities by highlighting intersections of individuals' multiple identities within social systems of power that compound and exacerbate experiences of ill health. This article provides an overview of the diverse ways public health researchers and practitioners have applied intersectionality theory to better understand and address health inequalities. We map three key applications of intersectionality theory in public health: as an epistemological approach, as a methodological approach, and as a tool for action and intervention. Drawing on this work, we argue that health promotion researchers and practitioners can enhance engagement with intersectionality theory to address important challenges within the field. Through this article, we aim to inspire the continued exploration of intersectionality and offer some insights into opportunities and challenges for doing so in health promotion.© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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