Abstract:
The biased use of male subjects in biomedical research has created limitations, underscoring the importance of including women to enhance the outcomes of evidence-based medicine and to promote human health. While federal policies (e.g., the 1993 Revitalization Act and the 2016 Sex as a Biological Variable Act) have aimed to improve sex balance in studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), data on sex inclusivity in non-NIH funded research remain limited. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of sex inclusion in abstracts submitted to the Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, & Biotransport Conference (SB3C) over 7 years. We scored every abstract accepted to SB3C, and the findings revealed that approximately 20% of total abstracts included sex-related information, and this trend remained stable. Surprisingly, there was no significant increase in abstracts, including both sexes and those with balanced female and male samples. The proportion of abstracts with balanced sexes was notably lower than those including both sexes. Additionally, we examined whether the exclusion of one sex from the corresponding studies was justified by the research questions. Female-only studies had a 50% justification rate, while male-only studies had only 2% justification. Disparity in sex inclusion in SB3C abstracts was apparent, prompting us to encourage scientists to be more mindful of the sex of the research samples. Addressing sex inclusivity in biomechanics and mechanobiology research is essential for advancing medical knowledge and for promoting better healthcare outcomes for everyone.
摘要:
在生物医学研究中使用男性受试者的偏见造成了局限性,强调包括妇女在内的重要性,以提高循证医学的结果和促进人类健康。而联邦政策(例如,1993年《复兴法》和2016年《性别作为生物变量法》)旨在改善由美国国立卫生研究院(NIH)资助的研究中的性别平衡,非NIH资助研究的性别包容性数据仍然有限.这项研究的目的是分析提交给夏季生物力学的摘要中性别包含的趋势,生物工程,&生物运输会议(SB3C)超过七年。我们对SB3C接受的每一篇摘要进行了评分,结果显示,大约20%的摘要包含了与性别相关的信息,这一趋势保持稳定。令人惊讶的是,摘要,包括男女两性或男性和女性样本平衡的摘要没有显著增加.性别平衡的摘要比例明显低于包括男女在内的摘要。此外,我们检查了研究问题是否证明将一种性别排除在相应研究之外是合理的.只有女性的研究有50%的论证率,而仅男性研究只有2%的理由。SB3C摘要中性别包含的差异很明显,促使我们鼓励科学家更加注意研究样本的性别。解决生物力学和机械生物学研究中的性别包容性对于推进医学知识和促进每个人的更好的医疗保健结果至关重要。