The use of race and ethnicity in sickle cell disease research.

ABSTRACT: This study explores practices surrounding the operationalization of ethno-racial categories (ERCs) as confounders in biomedical research, with a focus on sickle cell disease (SCD) as a model. ERCs, often aggregate labels encompassing diverse individuals which raises questions about their relevance as confounders. Given SCD's racialization as a "Black" disease, understanding ERC utilization is crucial. This study analyzed 1,105 SCD studies published globally. Data were collected on whether ERC adjustment was employed, regional variations in ERC-adjustment rates, labels used for ERCs, rationales provided for ERC matching, and methods used for ERC determination. 28% of the studies utilized ERC adjustment, with significant regional disparities (p < 0.001). Notably, Western studies showed highe

SUBMITTER: Kidane Gebremeskel AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887362 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature