Gender Bias In Incidence Research Articles

Should Women Move Like Men? The Construction of Gender and Difference in Research on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

This article investigates constructions of gender and difference in biomedical research on anterior cruciate ligament injuries. This injury is of interest because evidence shows a higher risk among females in some sports and there is extensive research on this topic. The analysis examined consensus statements from 6 anterior cruciate ligament research retreats spanning 11 years. The initial mission of the retreats was to examine factors related to a possible gender bias in incidence. Over time there was increasing emphasis on explaining the mechanisms of the injury and injury prevention. Conceptualizations of gender were multifaceted and as research evolved showed a tendency to move away from essentialist and categorical constructions. The discussion suggests that the location of this research in a broader agenda of injury prevention helped to distance it from a narrow focus on gender difference and provided the context for increasingly nuanced conceptualizations of gender.

Marked increase in type 1 diabetes mellitus incidence in children aged 0?14 yr in Victoria, Australia, from 1999 to 2002

The objectives of the study were to (i) determine the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in children aged <15 yr in Victoria, Australia, from 1999 to 2002 and (ii) to analyze trends in incidence over this period. Prospective population-based incidence study. The primary source of case ascertainment was from the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG) Victorian diabetes register. The secondary source was the National Diabetes Register (NDR), which ascertains cases from the National Diabetes Service Scheme (NDSS), a Commonwealth government initiative, where patients register to receive diabetes supplies at a subsidized price. Age-standardized incidence, trends in incidence by age, sex and year, and variation in incidence by region, season, and socioeconomic status. Case ascertainment was 99.1% complete using the capture-recapture method. The mean annual age-standardized incidence was 19.3 per 100 000 person years from 1999 to 2002. On average, incidence increased by 9.3% per year, with a greater relative increase in the 0-4 yr age-group (p = 0.037). No gender bias in incidence was found, but the increase in females was statistically significant (13.6% per year, 95% confidence interval 3.7-24.3). Variation in geographical distribution and seasonal onset of incidence was not statistically significant. The marked increase in the incidence of T1DM in Victoria is greater than that recently described in other Australia states and developed nations. The etiology of this rise is unclear, while the increased caseload has major implications for diabetes health care providers for current and future resource allocation.