Amsterdam UMC-VUmc, Department of Medical Humanities, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC-VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Women Health. 2021 Jan;61(1):109-119. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2020.1834056. Epub 2020 Oct 18.
Taking sex and gender into account in public health research is essential to optimize methodological procedures, bridge the gender gap in public health knowledge, and advance gender equality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status of sex and gender considerations in public health research proposals in a Dutch research institute. We screened a random sample of 38 proposals submitted for review to the institute's science committee between 2011 and 2016. Using the Canadian Institutes of Health Research' Gender and Health Institute criteria for gender-sensitive research and qualitative content analysis, we assessed if, and how sex and gender were considered throughout the proposals (background, research aim, design, data collection, and analysis). Our results show that in general, both sex and gender were poorly considered. Gender was insufficiently taken into account throughout most proposals. When sex was mentioned in a proposal, its consideration was often inconsistent and fragmented. Finally, we identified common methodological pitfalls. We recommend that public health curricula and funding bodies increase their focus on implementing sex and gender in public health research, for instance through quality criteria, training programs for researchers and reviewers, and capacity building initiatives.
在公共卫生研究中考虑性别因素对于优化方法程序、弥合公共卫生知识中的性别差距以及推进性别平等至关重要。本研究旨在评估荷兰某研究所提交给科学委员会评审的 38 项研究提案中当前性别因素的考虑情况。我们对 2011 年至 2016 年期间提交的提案进行了随机抽样筛选。使用加拿大卫生研究院性别与健康研究所的性别敏感研究标准和定性内容分析方法，评估了提案的背景、研究目标、设计、数据收集和分析等各个方面是否以及如何考虑了性别因素。结果表明，总体而言，提案对性别因素的考虑都不够充分。大多数提案中都没有充分考虑性别因素。当提案中提到性别的时候，对性别的考虑往往是不一致和零散的。最后，我们还确定了一些常见的方法学陷阱。我们建议公共卫生课程和资助机构更加注重在公共卫生研究中实施性别因素，例如通过质量标准、研究人员和评审员培训计划以及能力建设举措。
