scholarly journals Gender-related variables for health research

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias W. Nielsen ◽  
Marcia L. Stefanick ◽  
Diana Peragine ◽  
Torsten B. Neilands ◽  
John P. A. Ioannidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Biological Variable ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sociocultural Variable

Abstract Background In this paper, we argue for Gender as a Sociocultural Variable (GASV) as a complement to Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV). Sex (biology) and gender (sociocultural behaviors and attitudes) interact to influence health and disease processes across the lifespan—which is currently playing out in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study develops a gender assessment tool—the Stanford Gender-Related Variables for Health Research—for use in clinical and population research, including large-scale health surveys involving diverse Western populations. While analyzing sex as a biological variable is widely mandated, gender as a sociocultural variable is not, largely because the field lacks quantitative tools for analyzing the influence of gender on health outcomes. Methods We conducted a comprehensive review of English-language measures of gender from 1975 to 2015 to identify variables across three domains: gender norms, gender-related traits, and gender relations. This yielded 11 variables tested with 44 items in three US cross-sectional survey populations: two internet-based (N = 2051; N = 2135) and a patient-research registry (N = 489), conducted between May 2017 and January 2018. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses reduced 11 constructs to 7 gender-related variables: caregiver strain, work strain, independence, risk-taking, emotional intelligence, social support, and discrimination. Regression analyses, adjusted for age, ethnicity, income, education, sex assigned at birth, and self-reported gender identity, identified associations between these gender-related variables and self-rated general health, physical and mental health, and health-risk behaviors. Conclusion Our new instrument represents an important step toward developing more comprehensive and precise survey-based measures of gender in relation to health. Our questionnaire is designed to shed light on how specific gender-related behaviors and attitudes contribute to health and disease processes, irrespective of—or in addition to—biological sex and self-reported gender identity. Use of these gender-related variables in experimental studies, such as clinical trials, may also help us understand if gender factors play an important role as treatment-effect modifiers and would thus need to be further considered in treatment decision-making.

scholarly journals Diseases and Geographic Variation: Are we missing the whole picture?

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth John
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Epidemiological Analysis ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Risk Approach ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
And Gender

ABSTRACT BackgroundEpidemiology is the study and analysis of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. However, where an epidemiological analysis relies solely on data from large-scale anonymous administrative data sources, the available geographic information for the individuals concerned relates in general to just one single point in time; for example the places of residence of individual on the day that they were registered with a particular disease, or their places of residence on the day that they were admitted to hospital. This information may not be sufficient however, especially when considering diseases where there may be a long period of time between an exposure to a particular hazard and the subsequent onset of disease. MethodA solution to this problem possibly lies within administrative sources of data such as the Welsh Demographic Service (WDS), which is accessible to NHS Wales analysts and users of the SAIL databank in a pseudonymised format. The WDS contains the details of all Welsh residents who have been registered with a GP Practice since 1992, including a full history of changes to their addresses and GP practices. This data can be used to easily ascertain an individual’s address at any point in time, for example on a particular census date, or within a time period that is relative to a particular event, e.g. 10 years prior to disease registration. However, this research will look at how to incorporate all of an individual’s available address information into an epidemiological analysis. ResultsTwo main approaches will be demonstrated; the first using a “Person Years at Risk” approach which attempts to apportion numerator and denominator according to the number of previous residences, and the second using a Case Control approach, comparing the geographic spread of addresses in the diseased group of patients versus the non-diseased (control) group, with age and gender matched controls also drawn from the WDS.

scholarly journals Gender-Related Variables for Health Research

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias W. Nielsen ◽  
Marcia L Stefanick ◽  
Diana Peragine ◽  
Torsten B. Neilands ◽  
John P. A. Ioannidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Health Risk Behaviors ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Language Measures

This study develops a gender assessment tool for use in clinical and population research, including large-scale health surveys involving diverse Western populations. While analyzing sex as a biological variable is widely mandated, gender as a sociocultural variable is not, largely because the field lacks quantitative tools for analyzing the influence of gender on health outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive review of English-language measures of gender from 1975 to 2015 to identify variables across three domains: gender norms, gender-related traits, and gender relations. This yielded 11 variables tested with 44 items in three US cross-sectional survey populations: two internet-based (N= 2,051; N= 2,135) and a patient-research registry (N= 489), conducted between May 2017 and January 2018. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses distilled 11 constructs to 7 gender-related variables: caregiver strain, work strain, independence, risk-taking, emotional intelligence, social support, and discrimination. Regression analyses, adjusted for age, ethnicity, income, education, sex assigned at birth, and self-reported gender identity, identified associations between these gender-related variables and self-rated general health, physical and mental health, and health-risk behaviors. Our new instrument can be used to develop health interventions based on a fuller understanding of gender associations with health.

scholarly journals Can They and Will They? Exploring Proxy Response of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the Current Population Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-911
Author(s):  
Jessica Holzberg ◽  
Renee Ellis ◽  
Robin Kaplan ◽  
Matt Virgile ◽  
Jennifer Edgar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Proxy Responses ◽  
Bisexual And Transgender ◽  
Household Members ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Level Of Agreement

Abstract Within the United States Federal Statistical System, there has been interest in capturing sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI), collectively known as SOGI, on surveys to allow researchers to estimate the size and distribution of sexual and gender minority populations. SOGI measurement in federal surveys may also help to identify disparities between people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and those who do not in domains such as health, crime, or employment. Although research has been conducted on best practices for SOGI measurement in surveys, it has largely been limited to examination of self-reports. Many federal surveys use proxy reports, when one person generally responds for all household members. This research used cognitive interviews and focus groups to explore proxy response to SOGI questions. We explored potential sources of measurement error in proxy responses to SOGI questions, including sensitivity, difficulty, as well as the willingness and ability of respondents to answer SOGI questions about other household members. We also conducted paired interviews with members of the same household to assess level of agreement for SOGI questions. Findings suggest that measuring SOGI by proxy may be feasible in federal large-scale, general population surveys.

Transgender Status, Gender Identity, and Socioeconomic Outcomes in the United States

ILR Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Carpenter ◽  
Samuel T. Eppink ◽  
Gilbert Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽  
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance ◽  
Employment Rates ◽  
And Gender ◽  
One Year

This article provides the first large-scale evidence on transgender status, gender identity, and socioeconomic outcomes in the United States, using representative data from 35 states in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which asked identical questions about transgender status and gender identity during at least one year from 2014 to 2017. More than 2,100 respondents, aged 18 to 64 years, identified as transgender. Individuals who identify as transgender are significantly less likely to be college educated and less likely to identify as heterosexual than are individuals who do not identify as transgender. Controlling for these and other observed characteristics, transgender individuals have significantly lower employment rates, lower household incomes, higher poverty rates, and worse self-rated health compared to otherwise similar men who are not transgender.

Effects of Gender, Parental Role, and Time on Infant- and Adult-Directed Read and Spontaneous Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 4001-4014
Author(s):  
Melanie Weirich ◽  
Adrian Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
First Year ◽  
Space Size ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Phonetic Features ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Description Task

Purpose The study sets out to investigate inter- and intraspeaker variation in German infant-directed speech (IDS) and considers the potential impact that the factors gender, parental involvement, and speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech) may have. In addition, we analyze data from 3 time points prior to and after the birth of the child to examine potential changes in the features of IDS and, particularly also, of adult-directed speech (ADS). Here, the gender identity of a speaker is considered as an additional factor. Method IDS and ADS data from 34 participants (15 mothers, 19 fathers) is gathered by means of a reading and a picture description task. For IDS, 2 recordings were made when the baby was approximately 6 and 9 months old, respectively. For ADS, an additional recording was made before the baby was born. Phonetic analyses comprise mean fundamental frequency (f0), variation in f0, the 1st 2 formants measured in /i: ɛ a u:/, and the vowel space size. Moreover, social and behavioral data were gathered regarding parental involvement and gender identity. Results German IDS is characterized by an increase in mean f0, a larger variation in f0, vowel- and formant-specific differences, and a larger acoustic vowel space. No effect of gender or parental involvement was found. Also, the phonetic features of IDS were found in both spontaneous and read speech. Regarding ADS, changes in vowel space size in some of the fathers and in mean f0 in mothers were found. Conclusion Phonetic features of German IDS are robust with respect to the factors gender, parental involvement, speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech), and time. Some phonetic features of ADS changed within the child's first year depending on gender and parental involvement/gender identity. Thus, further research on IDS needs to address also potential changes in ADS.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document