New Study Reveals Alarming Gaps in Research Addressing Sex Differences
While decades of advocacy have pushed for the inclusion of women in clinical trials, a new study funded by Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) highlights that inclusion alone does not ensure sex differences are meaningfully addressed in research.
The study, led by Nicole Woitowich, PhD, executive director of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science (NUCATS) Institute, underscores significant gaps in how sex and gender are considered in biomedical research, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Neglecting to account for sex and gender in research has grievous implications for advancing equitable healthcare,” says Woitowich, research assistant professor of Medical Social Sciences. “These gaps reinforce a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine that fails to address the unique health needs of different populations.”
Addressing sex and gender in research improves the rigor and reproducibility of science. We must do better to ensure that research findings translate into effective and inclusive healthcare solutions for all.”
Recently published in PLOS ONE, the study analyzed more than 94,000 COVID-19-related publications and found that only 4 percent examined sex or gender-specific health considerations. The findings shed light on a critical shortfall in the scientific community's approach to addressing sex and gender differences in health outcomes.
Sex differences, such as variations in immune responses to viral infections, and gender-related health behaviors significantly influence disease outcomes.
“This study revealed that these critical factors are often overlooked in biomedical research, says Woitowich. “Addressing sex and gender in research improves the rigor and reproducibility of science. We must do better to ensure that research findings translate into effective and inclusive healthcare solutions for all.”
The study’s findings come at a time when precision medicine and optimal healthcare have become national priorities. COVID-19 served as a stark reminder of how health crises disproportionately impact different populations.
This was the first large-scale bibliometric analysis to evaluate sex and gender-based content in COVID-19-related publications. The study was supported by WHAM, which works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health research by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health. Co-authors of the study included Abigail Oyasu, Aysha Salter-Volz, Chen Yeh, Lutfiyya Muhammad, and Reshma Jagsi.
