Broadening the Environmental Lens to Include Social and Structural Determinants of Women's Health Disparities.

BACKGROUND: Due to the physical, metabolic, and hormonal changes before, during, and after pregnancy, women-defined here as people assigned female at birth-are particularly susceptible to environmental insults. Racism, a driving force of social determinants of health, exacerbates this susceptibility by affecting exposure to both chemical and nonchemical stressors to create women's health disparities. OBJECTIVES: To better understand and address social and structural determinants of women's health disparities, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) hosted a workshop focused on the environmental impacts on women's health disparities and reproductive health in April 2022. This commentary summarizes foundational research and unique insights shared by workshop participants, who emphasized the need to broaden the definition of the environment to include upstream social and structural determinants of health. We also summarize current challenges and recommendations, as discussed by workshop participants, to address women's environmental and reproductive health disparities. DISCUSSION: The challenges related to women's health equity, as identified by workshop attendees, included developing research approaches to better capture the social and structural environment in both human and animal studies, integrating environmental health principles into clinical care, and implementing more inclusive publishing and funding approaches. Workshop participants discussed recommendations in each of these areas that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, clinicians, funders, publishers, and community members. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12996.

For the "good of the lab": Insights from three focus groups concerning the ethics of managing a laboratory or research group.

To obtain some exploratory, qualitative data on ethical issues and values in managing a research laboratory, we conducted three focus groups with experienced investigators and laboratory managers. After validating the focus group transcripts for accuracy, two coders used deductive and inductive coding to develop themes from the text. Participants regarded ethics as important in managing a laboratory (or research group) for various reasons, ranging from conducting research with integrity to exhibiting leadership and promoting an ethical research climate. Participants identified many different types of ethical issues that arise in managing a research laboratory, including issues involving the management people, financial and material resources, projects, and data. An overarching ethical dilemma identified by participants was balancing the desire for productivity against apparently competing values, such as treating people fairly and promoting the wellbeing of individuals. Participants also indicated that graduate and post-graduate education and training did not prepare them to deal with the ethical, financial, interpersonal, and other issues related to managing a research laboratory, and that communication and leadership are crucial to managing a research laboratory ethically.

A Decade of Nutrition and Health Disparities Research at NIH, 2010-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition health disparities include differences in incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of diet-related diseases and conditions. Often, race, ethnicity, and the social determinants of health are associated with dietary intake and related health disparities. This report describes the nutrition health disparities research supported by NIH over the past decade and offers future research opportunities relevant to NIH's mission as described in the Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research. METHODS: Data were extracted from an internal reporting system from FY2010 to FY2019 using the Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization spending categories for Nutrition and Health Disparities. RESULTS: Over the past decade, NIH-supported nutrition and health disparities research increased, from 860 grants in 2010 to 937 grants in FY2019, whereas total nutrition and health disparities funding remained relatively stable. The top 5 Institutes/Centers that funded nutrition and health disparities research (on the basis of both grant numbers and dollars) were identified. Principal areas of focus included several chronic diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease) and research disciplines (e.g., clinical research and behavioral and social science). Focus areas related to special populations included pediatrics, minority health, aging, and women's health. CONCLUSIONS: The gaps and trends identified in this analysis highlight the need for future nutrition and health disparities research, including a focus on American Indian and Asian populations and the growing topics of rural health, maternal health, and food insecurity. In alignment with the Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research, health equity may be advanced through innovative research approaches to develop effective targeted interventions to address these disparities.