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  • Focus areas and methodological characteristics of North American-based health disparity research in sports medicine: a scoping review

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Systematic review
Focus areas and methodological characteristics of North American-based health disparity research in sports medicine: a scoping review
  1. Stephanie A Kliethermes1,2,
  2. Irfan M Asif3,
  3. Cheri Blauwet4,5,
  4. Leslie Christensen6,
  5. Nailah Coleman7,
  6. Mark E Lavallee8,
  7. James L Moeller9,
  8. Shawn F Phillips10,
  9. Ashwin Rao11,
  10. Katherine H Rizzone12,
  11. Sarah Sund2,
  12. Jeffrey L Tanji13,
  13. Yetsa A Tuakli-Wosornu14,
  14. Cleo D Stafford II15
  1. 1 Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
  2. 2 The American Medical Society For Sports Medicine, Leawood, Kansas, USA
  3. 3 Family and Community Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  4. 4 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation; Spaulding Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
  5. 5 Kelley Adaptive Sports Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  6. 6 Department of Library Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
  7. 7 Pediatric Primary Care, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
  8. 8 Department of Orthopedics, UPMC, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
  9. 9 Orthopaedic Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
  10. 10 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State Health, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, USA
  11. 11 Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  12. 12 Orthopaedics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
  13. 13 Orthopedics, UC Davis Sports Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
  14. 14 Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  15. 15 Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitations Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Stephanie A Kliethermes, Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; kliethermes{at}ortho.wisc.edu

Abstract

Objective Health disparities are widely prevalent; however, little has been done to examine and address their causes and effects in sports and exercise medicine (SEM). We aimed to summarise the focus areas and methodology used for existing North American health disparity research in SEM and to identify gaps in the evidence base.

Design Scoping review.

Data sources Systematic literature search of PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Web of Science Core Collection and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.

Eligibility criteria Full-text, peer-reviewed manuscripts of primary research, conducted in North America; published in the year 2000 or after, in English; and focusing on organised sports were included.

Results 103 articles met inclusion criteria. Articles were classified into five focus areas: access to and participation in sports (n=45), access to SEM care (n=28), health-related outcomes in SEM (n=24), provider representation in SEM (n=5) and methodology (n=1). Race/ethnicity (n=39), socioeconomic status (n=28) and sex (n=27) were the most studied potential causes of health disparities, whereas sexual orientation (n=5), location (rural/urban/suburban, n=5), education level (n=5), body composition (n=5), gender identity (n=4) and language (n=2) were the least studied. Most articles (n=74) were cross-sectional, conducted on youth (n=55) and originated in the USA (n=90).

Conclusion Health disparity research relevant to SEM in North America is limited. The overall volume and breadth of research required to identify patterns in a heterogeneous sports landscape, which can then be used to inform positive change, need expansion. Intentional research focused on assessing the intersectionality, causes and consequences of health disparities in SEM is necessary.

  • Health promotion
  • Sports medicine

Data availability statement

All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107607

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    Data availability statement

    All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @stephklie2, @CheriBlauwetMD, @jmoellermd, @badash13, @YetsaTuakli, @CleoStaffordMD

    • Contributors All authors meet the requirements for authorship. Specifically, SAK and LC developed the search approach, LC performed the literature search and all authors contributed to article review, selection and extraction. SAK and CDS II drafted the initial review, and all authors critically reviewed and revised the work. All authors approved the final draft of this manuscript prior to submission. SAK serves as the guarantor of this manuscript and accepts full responsibility for the work and conduct of the study.

    • Funding Research reported in this publication was supported, in part, by the National Institute on Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R13MD018272. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

    • Competing interests SAK, YAT-W and AR are associate editors for BJSM.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.