[Application of gender perspective in papers published between 2000 and 2003 from four National Institutes of Health journals].
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine the application of gender perspective in public health papers in four journals published by the Mexican National Health Institutes.


METHODS
A total of 999 papers published in the four journals between 2000 and 2003 was reviewed. Two levels of analysis were considered: (a) data presented by sex, providing description of differences between women and men, and (b) the analysis of these differences from gender perspective.


RESULTS
One quarter (25.4%) of the articles described results by sex. The largest percentage was published in Salud Pública de México (48.8%) and the smallest in Revista de Investigación Clínica (16.1%). Gender perspective was used in only 4.2% of papers; of these, drug addictions, health behaviour and violence were the topics that occurred most frequently.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to assess the application of gender perspective in Mexican health articles. Similarly to other countries, a very small percentage of authors analyzed sex differences, and a smaller proportion applied gender perspective. Results demonstrate the importance of promoting interdisciplinary research that may promote the elucidation of health inequalities between men and women.
Cerón-Mireles
Prudencia
P
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Sánchez-Carrillo
Constanza I
CI
Robledo-Vera
Cecilia
C
del Río Zolezzi
Aurora
A
Pedrosa-Islas
Laura
L
Reyes-Zapata
Hilda
H
Cerón-Mireles
Berta
B
Ordaz-Hernández
Guadalupe
G
Olaiz-Fernández
Gustavo Adolfo
GA
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*