Disparity of Racial/Ethnic Representation in Publications Contributing to Overactive Bladder Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines

Oluwateniola Brown, Moiuri Siddique, Tsung Mou, Emily R. Boniface, Katherine A. Volpe, Sara Cichowski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study was to compare the racial/ethnic representation in studies supporting the 2019 American Urological Association/Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction overactive bladder diagnosis and treatment guideline to the racial/ethnic distribution of the U.S. population. Methods We analyzed the race and ethnicity of participants in the articles cited in the 2019 American Urological Association/Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction nonneurogenic overactive bladder guidelines. The primary outcome was the representation quotient, the ratio of the proportion of a racial/ethnic group in the guideline studies relative to the estimated proportion of that group in the U.S. population. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson χ2 test. Results There were 387 studies included, 35% of which reported participants' race. Of the studies that included U.S. participants, 111 (61%) reported race and 44 (24%) reported Hispanic ethnicity. The representation quotient for White and Asian participants was 1.06 and 1.62, indicating overrepresentation relative to the U.S. population, respectively. The representation quotient for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native participants was 0.85, 0.56, and 0.02, respectively, indicating underrepresentation for these groups. Evaluation of the representation quotients over time revealed no meaningful change in representation from 1990 to 2019 for any racial/ethnic group. Conclusions The evidence based on the overactive bladder guidelines is derived from studies that frequently failed to report race/ethnicity and is not reflective of the U.S. population. Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native participants that are underrepresented in U.S.-based studies, highlighting the need for more inclusive recruitment strategies in overactive bladder research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)541-546
Number of pages6
JournalFemale Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Volume27
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • disparity
  • ethnicity
  • overactive bladder
  • race
  • race representation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Urology

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