A new era: improving use of sociodemographic constructs in the analysis of pediatric cohort study data.

A new era: improving use of sociodemographic constructs in the analysis of pediatric cohort study data. Pediatr Res. 2021 Feb 18;: Authors: Chandran A, Knapp E, Liu T, Dean LT Abstract Given the diversity of sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic position (SEP) in children across the United States, it is incumbent upon pediatric and epidemiologic researchers to conduct their work in ways that promote inclusivity, understanding and reduction in inequities. Current child health research often utilizes an approach of "convenience" in how data related to these constructs are collected, categorized, and included in models; the field needs to be more systematic and thoughtful in its approach to understand how sociodemographics affect child health. We offer suggestions for improving the discourse around sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and SEP in child health research. We explain how analytic models should be driven by a conceptual framework grounding the choices of variables that are included in analyses, without the automatic "adjusting for" all sociodemographic constructs. We propose to leverage newly available data from large multi-cohort consortia as unique opportunities to improve the current standards for analyzing and reporting core sociodemographic constructs. Improving the characterization and interpretation of child health studies with regards to core sociodemographic constructs is critical for optimizing ...
Source: Pediatric Research - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Pediatr Res Source Type: research