Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42174617›Full record

ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2026

Exploring perspectives of knowledge users about reporting on health equity in observational studies: a qualitative study informing the development of the STROBE-Equity reporting guideline.

Dana Simpson, Omar Dewidar, Elizabeth Ghogomu, Khadija Aliyeva, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Lucy C Barker, Luis Gabriel Cuervo, Holly N Ellingwood, Sonya Faber, Cindy Feng and 28 more

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Article in International journal for equity in health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

38 authors.

Dana SimpsonCarleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Omar DewidarBruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Elizabeth GhogomuBruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Khadija AliyevaUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Zulfiqar BhuttaCentre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Lucy C BarkerWomen's College Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Luis Gabriel CuervoDepartment of Paediatrics, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Holly N EllingwoodCarleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Sonya FaberUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Cindy FengDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Sarah FunnellFaculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
Billie-Jo HardyDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Janet Hatcher RobertsBruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Tanya HorsleyResearch and Evaluation, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
Alison KrentelSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Julian LittleSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Michelle KennedyCollege of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
Tamara KredoHealth Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Elizabeth KristjanssonSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Daeria O LawsonDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Michael Johnson MahandeDepartment of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University, Moshi, Tanzania.
Zack MarshallDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
G J Melendez-TorresFaculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Lawrence MbuagbawDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Miriam Nkangu NguilefemUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Ekwaro A ObukuAfrica Centre for Systematic Reviews and Knowledge Translation, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Ebenezer Owusu-AddoInstitute for Rural Development and Innovation Studies (IRDIS), College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Tomas PantojaDepartment of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Kevin PottieDepartment of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Anita RizviSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Larissa ShamseerUnity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Peter TugwellUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Janice TufteCochrane Consumer Network, Seattle, USA.
Xiaoqin WangLee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Charles S WiysongeCochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Taryn YoungStellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Vivian WelchBruyère Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Janet JullCarleton University, Ottawa, Canada. JanetJull@cunet.carleton.ca.

Funding

CIHR 438315
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth inequities arising from systemic factors and contextual conditions result in avoidable and unjust differences in health outcomes, with profound social and economic implications. Health inequities can frequently go unreported in observational studies. Observational studies can uniquely inform how we understand and address persisting health inequities through collecting, reporting and analyzing health equity factors using 'inclusive' methodological considerations. While the STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) reporting guideline aims to improve observational study reporting quality, existing extensions lacked a specific focus on health equity. Engaging those who will use or be impacted by research ("knowledge users"), including participant-research collaborators, is central to bridging the gap between knowledge production and real-world application. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gather a range of perspectives from these knowledge users as part of, and to inform, the development of the STROBE-Equity guideline extension, which aims to improve the reporting of equity-relevant considerations in observational studies.

methodsThis study used a qualitative description approach, employing semi-structured key informant interviews and framework analysis to collect and analyze the views of researchers, policymakers, decision-makers, funders, journal editors, ethicists, and participant-research collaborators. Participants were purposefully sampled to reflect diverse perspectives from knowledge users with relevant experience on health equity reporting.

resultsEleven key informants participated in the interviews. Information from interviews was categorized into seven themes: "Clarifying equity", "Equity is dynamic", "The challenges of making equity claims", "Making reporting on equity feasible", "Using reporting guidelines to manage tension", "Potential for better outcomes", and "Nobody's perspective is neutral". Participants emphasized the need for standardized equity-relevant reporting practices and offered insight into challenges, opportunities, and strategies for integrating equity-relevant considerations into observational study reporting.

conclusionsFindings show that participants viewed equity as a complex concept and stressed the need for practical guidance to support equity reporting in observational studies. They highlighted barriers such as limited time, resources, and publication word limits, and perceived the STROBE-Equity extension as a valuable tool for structuring reporting, raising awareness, and encouraging reflection, with the potential to improve the quality and impact of equity-relevant research.

Indexed as

Guidelines as TopicHealth EquityObservational Studies as TopicResearch DesignHumansQualitative ResearchEquity-relevant dataFramework analysisHealth equityKey informant interviewsKnowledge translationKnowledge usersObservational studiesQualitative researchReporting guidelinesSTROBE-Equity

Identifiers

PMID42174617
PMCPMC13404581

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.