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Editorial
. 2023 Jun;38(8):1966-1969.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08182-8. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Research Inclusion Across the Lifespan: A Good Start, but There Is More Work to Be Done

C Barrett Bowling  1   2 , Jennifer Thomas  3 , Jennifer M Gierisch  4   3   5 , Hayden B Bosworth  4   3   5 , Laura Plantinga  6   7
Affiliations
Editorial

Research Inclusion Across the Lifespan: A Good Start, but There Is More Work to Be Done

C Barrett Bowling et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

While older adults account for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending, they are often underrepresented in clinical research needed to guide clinical care. The purpose of this perspective is to make readers aware of new data on age at enrollment for participants included in National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded clinical research. We highlight key findings of relevance to general internal medicine and suggest ways readers could support the inclusion of older adults in clinical research. Data from the NIH Research Inclusion Statistics Report show that there were 881,385 participants enrolled in all NIH-funded clinical research in 2021, of whom 170,110 (19%) were 65 years and older. However, on average, studies included a far lower percentage of older adults. Additionally, there were many conditions for which overall enrollment rates for older adults were lower than would be expected. For example, while 10% of participants in studies related to diabetes were ≥ 65 years old, older individuals represent 43% of all prevalent diabetes in the USA. Researchers should work with clinicians to advocate for older adults and ensure their participation in clinical research. Best practices and resources for overcoming common barriers to the inclusion of older adults in research could also be disseminated.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of adults 65 years and older by Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) enrolled in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded clinical research studies in 2021. Data were obtained from Table #1867-21-1 (Broad Age Groups) and filtered on “All studies” for Population and “Total, NIH” for Institute/Center. Overall percentages were presented in the table, calculated as the number of adults 65 years and older divided by the total number of participants in that RCDC group. The median percentage is described by the NIH as the percentage of individuals included in a typical project associated with the RCDC group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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