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Study says recruiting women for cardiovascular research is harder

WION Web Team
NEW DELHIUpdated: Aug 06, 2021, 05:26 PM IST
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Representative image Photograph:(AFP)

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As a part of the study, 740 cardiovascular clinical trials were reviewed between 2010 and 2017

A new study has revealed that there are extra barriers to recruiting women for cardiovascular research. This is even after more women die of heart disease than men. 

As a part of the study, 740 cardiovascular clinical trials were reviewed between 2010 and 2017. 

It was then found out that women account for 38 per cent of the total participants. 

Dr Jeske van Diemen, of Amsterdam University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and also, one of the study's co-authors said that changing this “is not as easy as it sounds”.

Van Diemen and her colleagues looked for evidence behind the motivators and said that it is still unclear as to why the women participation rate is so low.

According to the paper published in the European Heart Journal, the researchers looked for barriers to trial participation. As a result, they found six studies, including a total of 846 men and 1,122 women, that fit their criteria.

The primary motivators for enrolment in trials were the possibility of better care, and the altruistic desire to promote science.

However, the barriers included time constraints and the potential for unfavourable outcomes were also highlighted by both sexes.

Women appeared to perceive a higher risk of harm from participation versus men.

Also, there were cited transport limitations as a reason for declining trial participation more often.

It is not clear why trial risk perceptions between the sexes differ, said Van Diemen, but “women more often have barriers which make it difficult to attend follow-up appointments, such as not holding a driving licence or caring for grandchildren”.