Reporting racial and ethnic diversity in eating disorder research over the past 20 years

Abstract

Objective: Recent public awareness of racial and ethnic disparities has again brought to light issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the eating disorders field. However, empirical information on racial and ethnic representation in eating disorders research is limited, making it difficult to understand where improvements are needed. Method: This study reviewed all studies including human participants published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders in 2000, 2010, and 2020. Differences in likelihood of reporting race and ethnicity were calculated based on study year, location, and diagnostic categories. Results: Out of 377 manuscripts, 45.2% reported information on the race and ethnicity of study participants. Studies conducted in the United States were more likely to report (128/173), and those conducted in Europe were less likely to report (5/61) on race and ethnicity than those conducted outside of those regions. Rates of reporting increased from 2000 to 2020. White participants made up approximately 70% of the samples that reported race and ethnicity data. Hispanic participants made up approximately 10% of samples reporting race and ethnicity. Participants from all other races and ethnicities made up less than 5% each. Discussion: Although rates of reporting race and ethnicity increased over time, most participants were White. Rates of reporting also differed by the geographical region, which may reflect variability in how information on race and ethnicity is collected across countries. More attention toward capturing the cultural background of research participants and more inclusivity in research are needed in the eating disorders field.

A systematic review of sociodemographic reporting and representation in eating disorder psychotherapy treatment trials in the United States

“…Slightly over half of the studies overall reported full race/ethnicity data, and a quarter reported none. Consistent with Egbert et al (2022), reporting of race/ethnicity data increased over time. Yet, 10% of studies published in the last decade did not report race or ethnicity and 20% reported only % White, non-White, or minority.…”

“…A recent review of all articles published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders in the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 found that although racial/ethnic data reporting increased over time, the substantial majority of participants were White (Egbert et al, 2022).…”

“…Finally, CONSORT guidelines for RCT reporting explicitly recommend papers acknowledge limitations that could bias findings and appropriately generalize findings based on the characteristics of the sample (Schulz et al, 2010). We restricted this review to RCTs with at least one study site located within the US, given the heterogeneity of the US population across sociodemographic factors (US Census Bureau, 2020), the growing awareness of the pervasive systemic inequities present within the US healthcare system (Bailey et al, 2021), and differences in the reporting practices of sociodemographic information internationally (Egbert et al, 2022;European Commission, 2017). Further, this review specifically focused on psychotherapeutic ED treatments, as they are explicitly recommended for all EDs, whereas evidence for pharmacological treatments outside of BN and binge-eating disorder (BED) is limited and/or mixed (Yager et al, 2014).…”

“…Further, this review specifically focused on psychotherapeutic ED treatments, as they are explicitly recommended for all EDs, whereas evidence for pharmacological treatments outside of BN and binge-eating disorder (BED) is limited and/or mixed (Yager et al, 2014). Secondary aims included assessing whether reporting or representation changed over time (as found in Egbert et al, 2022), and whether representation differed across ED diagnostic categories. Disparities in RCT enrollment across diagnosis could highlight important areas of improvement for researchers planning RCTs.…”

Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire: Evaluating factor structures and establishing measurement invariance with Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, and White American college men

“…Invariance indicates that the same underlying construct is being measured across groups, and that observed group differences are meaningful, and not the result of measurement error or item bias (B. M. Byrne et al, 2009;Chen, 2008;Putnick & Bornstein, 2016). Because men and marginalized racial/ethnic groups are underrepresented in the ED literature (Egbert et al, 2022;Goel, Jennings Mathis, et al, 2022;Murray et al, 2017), it is important not only to identify the appropriate factor structure for the EDE-Q in men, but also to ensure it is measuring the same constructs across racial and ethnic groups.…”