Underrepresentation of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Research Informing the American Urological Association/Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction Stress Urinary Incontinence Guideline

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the racial/ethnic representation in the studies used in the American Urological Association/Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction stress urinary incontinence guideline.

Methods: Cited studies were reviewed using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria focused on United States literature to allow for demographic comparison with census data. To compare the racial representation in a study to the diversity in the surrounding city, we calculated the differences between county census data and the study race reported data and performed regression analyses.

Results: Eighty-seven cited studies were reviewed, of which 33 were excluded and 52 studies were further evaluated. Seventeen studies were US studies, nine of which reported race. Eighty percent of the women included in the 9 studies were non-Hispanic white women. A diverse geographic region did not correlate with increased study enrollment of non-White patients.

Conclusion: The majority of cited studies used to develop the stress urinary incontinence management guidelines did not report the race/ethnicity of participants. Among those studies that did, Asian, Black, and Hispanic women were included at lower rates than non-Hispanic white women, identifying an area of opportunity to improve research recruitment and promote health equity. Non-Hispanic women were consistently overrepresented while other women were either under-represented or completely excluded.