Development and validation of the SAFE (Socially Ascribed intersectional identities For Equity) questionnaire.

Traditional questionnaires do not capture the complexity of how people are viewed by others and grouped into categories on the basis of what is inferred (or not) about them. This is critical in applying an intersectionality framework in research because people are negatively impacted because of "who they are" but also based on "how others see them." The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a questionnaire, grounded in intersectionality theory and a nuanced understanding of social position, that can be applied in large-scale, population-based surveys and studies. Drawing on 61 existing quantitative surveys collecting identity-based information and 197 qualitative studies on intersectionality describing the complex ways in which people's social positions are constructed and experienced, we created a draft questionnaire comprising five parts: 1) Sex and Gender, 2) Sexuality and Sexual Orientation, 3) Cultural Context, 4) Disability, Health, and Physical Characteristics, and 5) Socioeconomic Status. A draft of the questionnaire was then reviewed by experts via the Delphi process, which gauged the accessibility of the questionnaire (e.g., language used, length) and the relevance of its content using a 5-point scale and open-ended questions. These responses were ranked, analyzed, and synthesized to refine the questionnaire and, ultimately, to obtain ≥75 % consensus on each questionnaire item and response option. The SAFE questionnaire provides an opportunity to take a significant step forward in advancing our understanding of the complex, intersectional nature of social participation and marginalization.

Inclusion of female participants in cardiovascular research: a case study of Ontario NSERC-funded programs.

This study explored inclusion of female participants in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (NSERC-DG)-funded human cardiovascular research at Ontario universities between 2010-2018. Ninety-six publications were examined and 4 principal investigators were interviewed. Females were excluded/underrepresented in 63% of publications with 49% male-only and 5% female-only samples. The sex-bias appears to be explained by dependence on research knowledge and methodologies that maintain and reproduce a firmly established discourse of the male norm. Novelty Female participants were underrepresented in NSERC DG-funded cardiovascular research at Ontario universities between 2010-2018.

Barriers to planning and conducting a screening: prostate cancer.

African American men participated in a screening initiative and completed the 22-item Barriers to Prostate Cancer Screening Checklist. Forty-three men received a digital rectal exam (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) laboratory test. The age of the males was M = 56.4 (range = 45-76) years; 47% were compliant with the American Cancer Society annual screening guidelines for high-risk individuals. Nineteen men from the screened group completed a 22-item Response to Barriers Checklist. The barrier ranked a "big problem" for not getting a prostate exam, and the highest by 32% (n = 6) of the sample was "Too many things going on in their lives." The lowest ranked problem by 100% of the participants was "Takes too long to get an appointment." Two individuals reported taking the over-the-counter supplement, saw palmetto. It is important that when planning a health screening in the community, both barriers and advantages be evaluated during the planning and before the implementation phase of the project.