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Mehrabi S, Cameron L, Bowman A, Fleet JL, Eng J, Bayley MT, Teasell R. A Systematic Review of Female Participation in Randomized Controlled Trials of Post-Stroke Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in Low- to Middle-Income Countries and High-Income Countries and Regions. Cerebrovasc Dis 2024:1-10. [PMID: 38583429 DOI: 10.1159/000538610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Female participation is lower than males in both acute stroke and stroke rehabilitation trials. However, less is known about how female participation differs across countries and regions. This study aimed to assess the percentage of female participants in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of post-stroke rehabilitation of upper extremity (UE) motor disorders in low-middle-income (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) as well as different high-income world regions. METHODS CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from 1960 to April 1, 2021. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they (1) were RCTs or crossovers published in English; (2) ≥50% of participants were diagnosed with stroke; 3) included adults ≥18 years old; and (4) applied an intervention to the hemiparetic UE as the primary objective of the study. Countries were divided into HICs and LMICs based on their growth national incomes. The HICs were further divided into the three high-income regions of North America, Europe, and Asia and Oceania. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and RStudio v.4.3.1. RESULTS A total of 1,276 RCTs met inclusion criteria. Of them, 298 RCTs were in LMICs and 978 were in HICs. The percentage of female participants was significantly higher in HICs (39.5%) than LMICs (36.9%). Comparing high-income regions, there was a significant difference in the overall female percentages in favor of RCTs in Europe compared to LMICs but not North America or Asia and Oceania. There was no significant change in the percentage of female participants in all countries and regions over the last 2 decades, with no differences in trends between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Sufficient female representation in clinical trials is required for the generalizability of results. Despite differences in overall percentage of female participation between countries and regions, females have been underrepresented in both HICs and LMICs with no considerable change over 2 decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarvenaz Mehrabi
- Parkwood Institute Research, Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada,
| | - Lindsay Cameron
- Parkwood Institute Research, Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew Bowman
- Parkwood Institute Research, Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jamie L Fleet
- Parkwood Institute Research, Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
- St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, Ontario, Canada
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Janice Eng
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Rehabilitation Research Program, Centre for Aging SMART, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark Theodore Bayley
- KITE Research Institute, UHN-Toronto Rehabilitation institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Teasell
- Parkwood Institute Research, Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
- St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, Ontario, Canada
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Filbey L, Zhu JW, D'Angelo F, Thabane L, Khan MS, Lewis E, Patel MR, Powell-Wiley T, Miranda JJ, Zuhlke L, Butler J, Zannad F, Van Spall HGC. Improving representativeness in trials: a call to action from the Global Cardiovascular Clinical Trialists Forum. Eur Heart J 2023; 44:921-930. [PMID: 36702610 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Participants enrolled in cardiovascular disease (CVD) randomized controlled trials are not often representative of the population living with the disease. Older adults, children, women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color, and people living in low- and middle-income countries are typically under-enrolled in trials relative to disease distribution. Treatment effect estimates of CVD therapies have been largely derived from trial evidence generated in White men without complex comorbidities, limiting the generalizability of evidence. This review highlights barriers and facilitators of trial enrollment, temporal trends, and the rationale for representativeness. It proposes strategies to increase representativeness in CVD trials, including trial designs that minimize the research burden on participants, inclusive recruitment practices and eligibility criteria, diversification of clinical trial leadership, and research capacity-building in under-represented regions. Implementation of such strategies could generate better and more generalizable evidence to reduce knowledge gaps and position the cardiovascular trial enterprise as a vehicle to counter existing healthcare inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynaea Filbey
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 20 Copeland Avenue, David Braley Research Building, Suite C3-117, Hamilton, ON L8L 0A3, Canada
| | - Jie Wei Zhu
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 20 Copeland Avenue, David Braley Research Building, Suite C3-117, Hamilton, ON L8L 0A3, Canada
| | - Francesca D'Angelo
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 20 Copeland Avenue, David Braley Research Building, Suite C3-117, Hamilton, ON L8L 0A3, Canada
| | - Lehana Thabane
- Research Institute of St. Josephs, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 50 Charlton Ave E, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada.,Population Health Research Institute, 237 Barton St E, Hamilton ON L8L 2X2, Canada.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, 1 Bunting Road, FADA Building, Johannesburg, Gauteng 2092, South Africa.,Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, McMaster University Medical Centre, 2C Area, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Muhammad Shahzeb Khan
- Division of Cardiology, Duke Clinical Research Institute, 300 W Morgan Street, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Eldrin Lewis
- Cardiovascular Division, Stanford University School of Medicine, 291 Campus Drive, Li Ka Shing Building, Stanford, CA 94305-5101, USA
| | - Manesh R Patel
- Division of Cardiology, Duke Clinical Research Institute, 300 W Morgan Street, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - Tiffany Powell-Wiley
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, Cardiovascular Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Drive, Building 31, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.,Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 800, Bethesda, MD 20892-5465, USA
| | - J Jaime Miranda
- CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Av. Armendariz, 2nd floor, Miraflores 15074, Lima, Peru
| | - Liesl Zuhlke
- South African Medical Research Council and Division of Paediatric Cardiology, University of Cape Town and Red Cross Memorial Children's Hospital, Klipfontein Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape 7700, South Africa
| | - Javed Butler
- Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.,Baylor Scott and White Research Insistute, 3434 Live Oak St, Suite 501, Dallas, TX 75204, USA
| | - Faiez Zannad
- Centre d'Investigations Cliniques Plurithématique 1433, Université de Lorraine, 4 rue du Morvan, ILM, ground floor, Vandoeuvre-des-Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle 54500, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale 1116, Centre Hospitalier Régional, 18 av Mozart, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône 13276, France.,Investigation Network Initiative-Cardiovascular and Renal Clinical Trialists, Universitaire de Nancy, French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network, 4 rue de Morvan, Vandoeuvre-des-Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle 54500, France
| | - Harriette G C Van Spall
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 20 Copeland Avenue, David Braley Research Building, Suite C3-117, Hamilton, ON L8L 0A3, Canada.,Research Institute of St. Josephs, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 50 Charlton Ave E, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada.,Population Health Research Institute, 237 Barton St E, Hamilton ON L8L 2X2, Canada.,Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, McMaster University Medical Centre, 2C Area, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
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