South African Journal of Bioethics and Law (May 2023)
Race in health research: Considerations for researchers and research ethics committees
- W Van Staden,
- A Nienaber,
- T Rossouw,
- A Turner,
- C Filmalter,
- A E Mercier,
- J G Nel,
- B Bapela,
- M M Beetge,
- R Blumenthal,
- C D V Castelyn,
- T W de Witt,
- A G Dlagnekova,
- C Kotze,
- J S Mangwane,
- L Napoles,
- R Sommers,
- L Sykes,
- W B van Zyl,
- M Venter,
- A Uys,
- N Warren
Affiliations
- W Van Staden
- a:1:{s:5:"en_US";s:75:"Centre for Ethics and Philosophy of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria";}
- A Nienaber
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- T Rossouw
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- A Turner
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- C Filmalter
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- A E Mercier
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- J G Nel
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- B Bapela
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- M M Beetge
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- R Blumenthal
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- C D V Castelyn
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- T W de Witt
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- A G Dlagnekova
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- C Kotze
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- J S Mangwane
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- L Napoles
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- R Sommers
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- L Sykes
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- W B van Zyl
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- M Venter
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- A Uys
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- N Warren
- Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, University of Pretoria, South Africa
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7196/SAJBL.2023.v16i1.440
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 16,
no. 1
pp. 9 – 12
Abstract
This article provides ethical guidance on using race in health research as a variable or in defining the study population. To this end, a plain, non-exhaustive checklist is provided for researchers and research ethics committees, preceded by a brief introduction on the need for justification when using race as a variable or in defining a study population, the problem of exoticism, that distinctions pertain between race, ethnicity and ancestry, the problematic naming of races, and that race does not serve well as a presumed biological construct in genetic research.
