Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health
Health Equity/Social Determinants of Health 1
Ayush D. Shah, BA (he/him/his)
Medical Student
University of Minnesota Medical School
Shakopee, Minnesota, United States
Geographical, ethnic, ancestral, racial, and/or religious (GEAR) characteristics are social constructs. But these characteristics and other social determinants of health (SDOH) (e.g., educational attainment and household income) data are associated with health disparities around the world and are commonly discussed in pediatric journals published in the United States (US). Whether and how these factors are used by researchers who publish in European pediatric journals have not been explored.
To evaluate how GEAR and SDOH data are reported and discussed in three European pediatric journals and to compare European journal practices with US practices.
We performed a bibliometric analysis of all original articles published between January – June 2021 in 3 European pediatric journals: Archives of Disease in Childhood, European Journal of Pediatrics, and Acta Paediatrica. For each article, we recorded whether GEAR and SDOH were reported in the results and discussion sections, individually. Articles were excluded if they did not include at least ten pediatric participants or were systematic review/meta-analysis studies. We compared our data with GEAR and SDOH data published by W.A. Williams and L.F. Ross (The Use of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Determinants of Health in Three Pediatric Journals. J Pediatr. 2022;247:81-6).
Of the 320 articles that met the inclusion criteria, 64 (20%) and 80 (25%) reported GEAR and SDOH data in the results sections, respectively. Of those articles, 32 (50%) and 53 (66.3%) studies interpreted the GEAR and SDOH data in their discussion sections, respectively. On average, articles reported factors from 1.2 GEAR categories and 1.9 SDOH categories. There was great variability in variables collected and how data were grouped. Articles published in European journals were less likely to report GEAR and SDOH than articles published in US journals (P< 0.001 for both) (see Table 1). Articles published in European pediatric journals that reported either GEAR or SDOH data in their results were significantly more likely than articles in US pediatric journals to interpret these findings in their discussion sections (P< 0.001 for both).
European journals are more likely to interpret GEAR and SDOH findings; however, neither European nor US journals report consistent GEAR or SDOH categories. Consistent GEAR and SDOH categories and detailed procedures on how the GEAR and SDOH are collected will allow for more accurate inter-study comparisons and help us dismantle biases in health literature.