Reporting of Race and Ethnicity in Studies of Interventions Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal: A Methodological Review

Background: In 2023, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) published guidance on reporting race and ethnicity. This new guidance is a welcome development, yet unanswered questions remain regarding the reporting of race and ethnicity in health research. Objective: We sought to describe the methods of reporting race and ethnicity in published articles in the CMAJ and identify areas of improvement based on the published guidance. Methods: We conducted a methodological review of intervention studies published in the CMAJ between 2003 and 2023 by searching Medline and the Web of Science. We excluded reviews, observational, qualitative, or other non-intervention study designs. There were no restrictions on country, population, or intervention type. Data extraction involved how “race” and “ethnicity” data were collected and how authors integrated race and ethnicity into analyses, results, and discussions. Results : Of 117 studies included, 18 (15.4%) reported on race or ethnicity. Of these 18 studies, 12 (66.7%) used “Ethnicity,” 1 (4.3%) used “Race,” and 5 (27.8%) did not specify. 17 (94.4%) studies reported race or ethnicity in baseline characteristic tables with no further reporting of results by race or ethnicity. Discussions of study implications relative to race or ethnicity were made by 4 (22.2%) studies. Interpretation : The data collection methods for race or ethnicity were poorly reported, and these data were often limited to describing participant samples. The CMAJ guidance is a starting point for advancing equity in research, although its impact on reporting in published studies remains unknown. Reflective prompts should be considered as an alternative to prescriptive guidelines.