Reporting and representation of race and ethnicity in paediatric ophthalmology clinical trials
Reviewed by Lauren Hepworth

This systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with the reporting of race / ethnicity data in paediatric ophthalmology studies and how this has changed over time. A systematic search strategy to find randomised controlled trials between 2000 and 2022 was performed. A total of 170 articles met the inclusion criteria for the study. Two thirds were published after 2010, with over half published in the USA and Canada. Of the included studies, 52% reported the race / ethnicity of the participants. The reporting of race / ethnicity improved for studies published after 2010 (57%), included multi-centres (72%) and had a sample size >100 (71%). Of the studies reporting race, the majority of participants were White (87%) and for those reporting ethnicity, the majority of participants were non-Hispanic (88%). Whilst reporting did improve over time this was not found to be a statistically significant change. The authors compared the US study participants to the US 2010 census and confirmed White participants to be over-represented and with under-representation of Hispanics, Black and Asian populations. Other literature regarding the barriers and solutions to increasing representation in clinical trials is discussed. This study highlights the importance of reporting race and ethnicity in all clinical trials / studies to measure what needs to improve.

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity in pediatric ophthalmology clinical trials from 2000 to 2022.
Kuo A, Yazji I, Abbass N, et al.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS
2023;28:103870.