The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s Health Equity Core developed a written aid to offer guidance on inclusive language and terms to use when referring to specific people, groups, and communities. The Equitable Language Cheat Sheet is available on the Health Equity Core webpage and will be updated as terminology and guidance evolve.
“When collaborating with distinct individuals or communities in the scope of research, it’s important to defer to their personal preferences for identification. This reference guide offers essential guidelines in instances where direct input is not an option,” said Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, cochair of the Health Equity Core and an associate professor and assistant dean in the Duke University School of Nursing. “We hope that this cheat sheet serves as a valuable tool for researchers and partners striving toward fostering health equity,” she said.
The cheat sheet includes preferred terminology when referring to the following identities:
- Age
- Race and ethnicity
- Gender
- Differing abilities
- Drug/substance abuse
- People who are underserved, at increased risk, or economically marginalized
- Partners and populations of focus
The Health Equity Core provides direction for pragmatic trials on how to integrate a health equity lens in pragmatic clinical research, documents barriers to the integration of a health equity lens in pragmatic research, and develops strategies and tools to facilitate a health equity lens in pragmatic trials. This living document supports the Core’s mission in working toward overcoming biases and advancing health equity in the context of pragmatic research.