Basic Demographics

Basic demographics are questions we ask everyone in our study. These demographic questions are used to understand who is participating in our study so we can understand disparities and inequities that may exist for specific populations. Learn more about how we measure gender identity and race & ethnicity.

Phrasing for START's race and ethnicity questions, as well as rationale and definitions, can be found in the attached document.

Core resources:

• Oregon's Race and Ethnicity Implementation (via REALD) - A well-vetted instrument from Oregon Health Authority's Office of Equity and Inclusion that has been adopted by the state of Oregon and its public health agencies.
  
  REALD is a type of demographic information, like age, marital status, employment and more. REALD stands for the types of information it includes: 

  • Race

  • Ethnicity

  • Language

  • Disability

In 2020, the Oregon legislature passed a law that requires health care providers to:

• Collect REALD information at health care visits related to COVID-19, and

• Share this information with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

Phrasing for START's gender identity questions, as well as rationale and definitions, can be found in the attached document.

Core resources and references:

• Federal Interagency Working Group on Improving Measurement of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Federal Surveys (2016). Evaluations of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Survey Measures: What Have We Learned? Published September 23, 2016.  Accessed May 1, 2021 from https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sites/default/files/Evaluations_of_SOGI_Questions_20160923_508.pdf   

• Methods and Measurement in Sexual & Gender Minority Health Research: Examples of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Questions.  Accessed May 1, 2021 from  https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/sgmro/measurement/questions  

• OHSU Evaluation Core (2019). Capturing diverse responses across sexual orientation and gender identities: Striving toward accuracy and inclusivity.  Accessed May 1, 2021 from https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-01/OCTRI_PDF_Evaluation_Measuring%20SOGI_2020%2001%2016.pdf  

• Suen, L.W., Lunn, M.R., Katuzny, K. et al. What Sexual and Gender Minority People Want Researchers to Know About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questions: A Qualitative Study. Arch Sex Behav 49, 2301–2318 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01810-y 

• Gender Spectrum https://www.genderspectrum.org/