Reporting of equity in observational epidemiology : A methodological review
Dewidar, Omar (University of Ottawa)
Al-Zubaidi, Ali (University College Cork)
Bondok, Mostafa (University of British Columbia)
Abdelrazeq, Leenah (University of Ottawa)
Huang, Jimmy (University of Ottawa)
Jearvis, Alyssa (University of Ottawa)
Barker, Lucy C (Women's College Hospital)
Elmestekawy, Nour (University of Ottawa)
Goghomu, Elizabeth (University of Ottawa)
Rader, Tamara (Freelance health research librarian)
Tufte, Janice (Hassanah Consulting, Seattle)
Greer-Smith, Regina (LLC/S.T.A.R. Initiative)
Waddington, Hugh S (London International Development Centre)
Nicholls, Stuart G (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute)
Little, Julian (University of Ottawa)
Hardy, Billie-Jo (Unity Health Toronto)
Horsley, Tanya (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada)
Young, Taryn (Stellenbosch University)
Cuervo, Luis Gabriel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Sharp, Melissa K (RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Chamberlain, Catherine (Murdoch University)
Shea, Beverley (University of Ottawa)
Craig, Peter (University of Glasgow)
Lawson, Daeria O (McMaster University (Canadà))
Rizvi, Anita (University of Ottawa)
Wiysonge, Charles S (Cochrane South Africa)
Kredo, Tamara (Stellenbosch University)
Francis, Damian (Georgia College)
Kristjansson, Elizabeth (University of Ottawa)
Bhutta, Zulfiqar (Aga Khan University)
Antequera, Alba (Institut de Recerca Sant Pau)
Melendez-Torres, GJ (University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health)
Pantoja, Tomas (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Wang, Xiaoqin (Michael G. McMaster University)
Jull, Janet (Queen's University)
Roberts, Janet Hatcher (World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Knowledge Translation and Health Technology Assessment in Health Equity (Canada))
Funnell, Sarah (Queen's University)
White, Howard (Campbell Collaboration)
Krentel, Alison (University of Ottawa)
Mahande, Michael Johnson (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College)
Ramke, Jacqueline (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
Wells, George (University of Ottawa Heart Institute)
Petkovic, Jennifer (University of Ottawa)
Pottie, Kevin (Western University)
Niba, Loveline (Nutrition and Health Research Group (NHRG))
Feng, Cindy (University of Ottawa)
Nguliefem, Miriam N (University of Ottawa)
Tugwell, Peter (University of Ottawa)
Mbuagbaw, Lawrence (McMaster University (Canadà))
Welch, Vivian (University of Ottawa)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Observational studies can inform how we understand and address persisting health inequities through the collection, reporting and analysis of health equity factors. However, the extent to which the analysis and reporting of equity-relevant aspects in observational research are generally unknown. Thus, we aimed to systematically evaluate how equity-relevant observational studies reported equity considerations in the study design and analyses. We searched MEDLINE for health equity-relevant observational studies from January 2020 to March 2022, resulting in 16 828 articles. We randomly selected 320 studies, ensuring a balance in focus on populations experiencing inequities, country income settings, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) topic. We extracted information on study design and analysis methods. The bulk of the studies were conducted in North America (n = 95, 30%), followed by Europe and Central Asia (n = 55, 17%). Half of the studies (n = 171, 53%) addressed general health and well-being, while 49 (15%) focused on mental health conditions. Two-thirds of the studies (n = 220, 69%) were cross-sectional. Eight (3%) engaged with populations experiencing inequities, while 22 (29%) adapted recruitment methods to reach these populations. Further, 67 studies (21%) examined interaction effects primarily related to race or ethnicity (48%). Two-thirds of the studies (72%) adjusted for characteristics associated with inequities, and 18 studies (6%) used flow diagrams to depict how populations experiencing inequities progressed throughout the studies. Despite over 80% of the equity-focused observational studies providing a rationale for a focus on health equity, reporting of study design features relevant to health equity ranged from 0-95%, with over half of the items reported by less than one-quarter of studies. This methodological study is a baseline assessment to inform the development of an equity-focussed reporting guideline for observational studies as an extension of the well-known Strengthening Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Journal of Global Health, Vol. 14 (march 2024) , ISSN 2047-2986

DOI: 10.7189/jogh.14.04046
PMID: 38491911

12 p, 2.1 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles