A comprehensive analysis of health care Inequities in randomized clinical trials following bariatric surgeries. Am J Surg 2024 Nov;237:115796
Date
06/14/2024Pubmed ID
38871550DOI
10.1016/j.amjsurg.2024.115796Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85195847708 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
BACKGROUND: Obesity is a global epidemic, leading to an increasing focus on interventions like bariatric surgeries. Despite this, there's a noticeable gap in understanding the demographic distribution of patients in clinical trials for bariatric surgery.
METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 117 registered randomized clinical trials related to bariatric surgery on ClinicalTrials.gov. We extracted demographic information, including age, sex, race, and ethnicity, and performed descriptive statistical analyses.
RESULTS: The analysis covered 8,418 participants. The mean age was 43.8 years, with a substantial majority (93.8 %) falling within the 18-65 age group. Females comprised 74.9 % of participants, surpassing real-world estimates. Racially, 65.3 % of participants were White, while African Americans represented 18.5 %, Asians 1.2 %, Native Hawaiians 0.2 %, and American Indians 0.1 %, indicating an underrepresentation of diverse racial groups, notably lower compared to real-world demographic data. In terms of ethnicity, only 17.6 % were Hispanic.
CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals significant demographic disparities in patients undergoing bariatric surgeries in clinical trials. This suggests a lack of generalizability, emphasizing the need for inclusive recruitment strategies to enhance health equity.
Author List
Ghusn W, Mosleh KA, Hage K, Salame M, Gala K, Edwards MA, Kindel TL, Ghanem OMAuthor
Tammy Lyn Kindel MD, PhD Associate Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Bariatric Surgery
Female
Healthcare Disparities
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Obesity, Morbid
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
United States
Young Adult
