Speaker
Description
Author: Pamela Buckley (University of Colorado Boulder)
Background: Evidence reveals that minoritized groups face disparities, underscoring the need for interventions to address inequities.
Methods: Findings from two systematic reviews are presented. First, Buckley et al. (2023) conducted a descriptive analysis on the reporting of sample characteristics among 885 preventive programs for youth with evaluations published from 2010-2021 and recorded in the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development online registry. Second, Buckley et al. (2025) synthesized findings from 292 experimental evaluations conducted between 2010-2023 that met Blueprints evidence standards to assess: (1) the prevalence of culturally tailored evidence-based preventive interventions (EBPIs); (2) how frequently tests for subgroup effects were conducted; and (3) whether subgroup tests indicated differential benefits for minoritized groups.
Results: Buckley et al. (2023) found that 77% of studies reported race and 64% reported ethnicity. Most enrollees were White (35%) followed by Black or African American (28%) and 31% collapsed across race or categorized race with ethnicity; 32% of enrollees were Hispanic or Latino. Meanwhile, Buckley et al. (2025) found few culturally tailored EBPIs (31%). Additionally, only 25% and 15% tested for subgroup effects by race and ethnicity, respectively. Few (28%) evaluations included effects by economic disadvantage while 47% examined outcomes by binary gender categories. Essentially no reports tested for subgroup effects by sexual identity, location (rural/urban), or nativity status (foreign/native-born). Encouraging findings were that EBPIs more often benefited racial and ethnic minoritized groups, and there was an upward trend in reporting subgroup tests across time.
Discussion: First, research gaps on minoritized groups call for clear reporting and better representation to reduce disparities and improve the utility of preventive interventions. Second, studies should test subgroup effects to better understand the generalizability of findings. Third, investments are needed in culturally grounded programs developed for historically marginalized populations and trials of EBPIs that investigate mitigating health disparities.
| Conflict of interest | None |
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