Defining race/ethnicity and explaining difference in research studies on lung function
Defining race/ethnicity and explaining difference in research studies on lung function
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DOI：
10.1183/09031936.00091612
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发表时间：
2013-06-01
影响因子：
24.3
通讯作者：
Dickersin, Kay
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Braun, Lundy;Wolfgang, Melanie;Dickersin, Kay
美国胸科学会/欧洲呼吸学会2005年指南建议使用人种和/或种族特异性参考标准进行肺量测定。然而，世界各地对种族和族裔的关键变量的定义各不相同。本研究的目的是确定研究人员是否在肺功能研究中定义了种族和/或民族，以及他们如何解释任何观察到的差异。我们在2008年7月检索了PubMed，筛选了10471篇标题和摘要，以识别出比较“白色”与“其他种族和民族”的潜在合格文章。在1922年至2008年发表的226篇合格文章中，种族和/或民族定义为17.3%，2000年代使用平行对照的比例增加到70%。大多数文章（83.6%）报告“其他种族和族裔群体”的肺活量低于“白色”; 94%的文章未能检查社会经济地位。在189项报告“其他种族和民族”肺功能较低的研究中，21.8%和29.4%的解释分别引用了内在因素和人体测量差异，而23.1%的解释引用了环境和社会因素。即使研究人员试图确定种族/民族的肺功能差异，他们通常无法定义其术语，并经常假设固有（或遗传）差异。
The 2005 guidelines of the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society recommend the use of race- and/or ethnic-specific reference standards for spirometry. Yet definitions of the key variables of race and ethnicity vary worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine whether researchers defined race and/or ethnicity in studies of lung function and how they explained any observed differences.Using the methodology of the systematic review, we searched PubMed in July 2008 and screened 10 471 titles and abstracts to identify potentially eligible articles that compared "white" to "other racial and ethnic groups".Of the 226 eligible articles published between 1922 and 2008, race and/or ethnicity was defined in 17.3%, with the proportion increasing to 70% in the 2000s for those using parallel controls. Most articles (83.6%) reported that "other racial and ethnic groups" have a lower lung capacity compared to "white"; 94% of articles failed to examine socioeconomic status. In the 189 studies that reported lower lung function in "other racial and ethnic groups", 21.8% and 29.4% of explanations cited inherent factors and anthropometric differences, respectively, whereas 23.1% of explanations cited environmental and social factors.Even though researchers sought to determine differences in lung function by race/ethnicity, they typically failed to define their terms and frequently assumed inherent (or genetic) differences.