Methods for prospectively incorporating gender into health sciences research

Numerous studies have demonstrated that sex (a biological variable) and gender (a psychosocial construct) impact health and have discussed the mechanisms that may explain these relationships. Funding agencies have called for all health researchers to incorporate sex and gender into their studies; however the way forward has been unclear to many, particularly due to the varied definition of gender. We argue that just as there is no standardized definition of gender, there can be no standardized measurement thereof. However, numerous measurable gender-related variables may influence individual or population-level health through various pathways. The initial question should guide the selection of specific gender-related variables based on their relevance to the study, to prospectively incorporate gender into research. We outline various methods to provide clarification on how to incorporate gender into the design of prospective clinical and epidemiological studies as well as methods for statistical analysis.