by admin | Jan 22, 2022 | Publications
Shirin Heidari
Gaceta Sanitaria – January, 2022
We failed to adequately launch a gender transformative response to COVID-19 pandemic, data by sex on a variety of indicators for most countries are hard to find. Some symptoms reported as common of COVID-19 infection, are more prominent in men, while others are more prominent in women, one cannot with certainty exclude that some of the differences observed could be due to gender bias in the management of cases in health services. The gender implications of the pandemic reach wide and far. Inequalities can be further aggravated as sex and gender intersect with other axes of inequality.
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by admin | Jan 18, 2022 | Publications
Abha Saxena, Emily Lasher, Claire Somerville, Shirin Heidari
OXFORD Academic, International Health – January 18, 2022
Despite a growing consensus on the importance of integrating sex and gender in health research, research across disciplines continues to be conducted and reported without a gender focus. Research ethics committees (RECs) can play a particularly powerful role in identifying the gender gaps at an early stage of the development of research protocols. Their role is missing in the dialogue related to improving gender awareness and analysis in health research. A scoping review was conducted to examine the extent to which RECs discuss and consider the inclusion and analysis of sex and gender in health research and to examine the literature regarding the gender balance of RECs. The limited literature around gender and research ethics reveals the power and potential of RECs to ensure that gender dimensions are thoughtfully included in health research, and sheds light on the gaps that exist. These include an under-representation of women on RECs, a lack of awareness of the importance of gender-related aspects in health research and a paucity of gender-related training to RECs. Guidelines such as the Sex and Gender Equity in Research guidelines are required for RECs to strengthen the ways in which health research is gendered from conception of a research protocol to its publication.
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by admin | Nov 15, 2021 | Publications
Shirin Heidari, Alice Palmer-Ross, Tracey Goodman
Vaccines – November 15, 2021
Sex and gender have implications for COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and adverse effects from the vaccine. As vaccination is one of the key responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that sex and gender differences be acknowledged, measured, and analysed in clinical research. Here, we systematically review published COVID-19 vaccine trials, both interventional and observational, to assess the quality of reporting of sex and gender.
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by admin | Nov 8, 2021 | Publications
Sanne A E Peters, Thomas F Babor, Robyn N Norton, Janine A Clayton, Pavel V Ovseiko, Cara Tannenbaum, Shirin Heidari
BMJ Global Health – November 8, 2021
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Sex And Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines, which provide recommendations to authors, journal editors, peer-reviewers and publishers for ensuring that sex and gender considerations are appropriately reported in the scholarly literature. The guidelines were developed in recognition of the persistent sex and gender gaps in research across disciplines, especially in health and biomedical research. At the time of development, there was notable resistance to implement sex and gender policies, reflecting a lack of awareness of the importance of sex and gender as critical determinants of health and well-being.
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by admin | Apr 24, 2021 | Publications
Peter Baker, Clara Alemann, Stephen Burrell, Derek M. Griffith, Shirin Heidari, Jasmine Kelland, Arush Lal, Sushmita Mukherjee
BMJ Global Health – April 24, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has refocused attention on many health inequalities, not least those related to gender. Globally, men and women are thought to be infected with COVID-19 in roughly equal numbers. But, overall, men are 40% more likely than women to die from COVID-19 and almost three times more likely to require admission to an intensive treatment unit.
Men of colour and men in lower-income groups have suffered particularly high mortality rates. Men’s mental health and wellbeing has suffered in many countries and, at the same time, non-governmental organisations that focus on engaging and supporting men have experienced funding pressures that may lead to reduced services.
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