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Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

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Racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trials for pediatric obesity

Catherine G Coughlin1, Emilie S Zoltick2, Fatima Cody Stanford3

  • 1Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|February 4, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, except for Black and Hispanic children, were underrepresented in pediatric obesity clinical trials. Improved diversity and race/ethnicity data reporting are crucial for equitable research.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical research
  • Pediatric health
  • Health equity

Background:

  • Pediatric obesity is a significant public health concern.
  • Clinical trials are essential for developing effective obesity treatments.
  • Ensuring diverse participant representation is critical for generalizability and equity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the representation of historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups in U.S. pediatric obesity clinical trials.
  • To identify disparities in enrollment compared to disease prevalence.
  • To highlight gaps in race and ethnicity data collection and reporting.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of pediatric obesity trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov.
  • Included trials completed between January 2013 and August 2023 in the United States.
  • Calculated enrollment-prevalence disparity (EPD) to quantify underrepresentation.

Main Results:

  • 260 trials met eligibility; 49.2% reported race/ethnicity data.
  • White, Hispanic, and Black children's enrollment generally reflected disease burden.
  • Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children were significantly underrepresented (EPD < 0).

Conclusions:

  • Significant underrepresentation of several marginalized groups in pediatric obesity trials indicates a need for improved participant diversity.
  • Substantial gaps exist in the documentation and reporting of race and ethnicity information.
  • Concerted efforts are necessary to enhance data collection and ensure adequate representation in clinical trials.
Abstract

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