Gender and COVID-19 top research questions (n=21) across all thematic groups with adjusted means per criteria
| Top research questions scored by criteria: public health (PH) (1 low–4 high), gender equality (GE) (1 not likely–4 highly likely), urgency (U) (1 long (3–5 years), 2 medium (1–2 years), 3 short (6 months)) | PH | GE | U | |
| Thematic group on health status and behaviour | ||||
| RQ27 | Acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines: do gender differences in the trust, acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines vary across social categories (such as race, disability, migrant status, age, sexuality and pre-existing conditions)? | 3.65 | 3.53 | 2.61 |
| RQ26 | Acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines: are there gender differences in the trust, acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines? | 3.58 | 3.39 | 2.66 |
| RQ14 | Post-COVID-19 conditions: how do post-COVID-19 conditions affect pregnant and postpartum women, their pregnancies and breastfeeding children across various contexts? | 3.57 | 3.50 | 2.34 |
| RQ5 | COVID-19 infections, acute morbidity and mortality: what are the infection, acute morbidity and mortality levels of COVID-19 among pregnant and postpartum women across various contexts? | 3.54 | 3.35 | 2.40 |
| RQ36 | Mental health and other NCDs: what were the impact of COVID-19 measures on the mental health outcomes of women, men, girls, boys, LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, plus) persons and gender-diverse persons? | 3.54 | 3.39 | 2.19 |
| Thematic group on research and development | ||||
| RQ40 | Participation and engagement: how can pregnant and lactating females be ethically and safely included in phase 3 and 4 studies for COVID-19 R&D? | 3.83 | 3.90 | 2.25 |
| RQ33 | Regulation, funding and commercialisation: in what ways are sex-related and gender-related variables integrated into national and global vaccine safety surveillance systems? | 3.74 | 3.46 | 2.38 |
| RQ8 | Therapeutics and vaccine-specific population outcomes: do safety, efficacy and optimal dosing regime, and protective duration of the different COVID-19 vaccines differ in pregnant and lactating women, and their pregnancies and breastfeeding children? | 3.71 | 3.68 | 2.48 |
| RQ5 | Therapeutics and vaccine outcomes: does safety, efficacy and optimal dosing regime of different therapeutic interventions for COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 conditions differ by sex, age and race? | 3.65 | 3.40 | 2.46 |
| RQ9 | Therapeutics and vaccine-specific population outcomes: does safety, efficacy and optimal dosing regime of different therapeutic interventions for COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 conditions differ in pregnant and lactating women, and their breastfeeding children? | 3.61 | 3.56 | 2.44 |
| RQ39 | Participation and engagement: what is the extent of the enrolment and participation of women in ongoing and completed COVID-19 clinical trials across various sites and countries? | 3.59 | 3.59 | 2.08 |
| RQ21 | Digital health: how can digital health intervention algorithms used in the pandemic be built to correct for gender and race bias? | 3.58 | 3.39 | 2.21 |
| Thematic group on health service delivery | ||||
| RQ12 | Service delivery models: how did health service delivery measures respond to the needs of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19? | 3.64 | 3.37 | 2.50 |
| RQ6 | Access: to what extent, and how has, utilisation of quality sexual, reproductive and maternal health and violence against women and girls services changed because of COVID-19? | 3.63 | 3.39 | 2.26 |
| RQ4 | Access: how has the prioritisation of COVID-19 services affected access to services for non-COVID-19 health conditions by gender and its intersection with other social categories in various contexts? | 3.61 | 3.52 | 2.44 |
| RQ1 | Access: how do access and quality of services for COVID-19 differ by gender and its intersection with other social categories in various contexts? | 3.61 | 3.38 | 2.49 |
| RQ2 | Access: what strategies were used to improve gender and other inequities in access and quality of care for COVID-19 services (testing, facility-based care, quarantine care, etc) and how effective were they? | 3.61 | 3.47 | 2.32 |
| RQ19 | Service delivery models: what are the different service reorganisation models implemented to ensure continuity of sexual, reproductive and maternal health and violence against women and girls services during the pandemic, and how effective are they? | 3.60 | 3.38 | 2.01 |
| Thematic group on social determinants | ||||
| RQ1 | Gender-based violence: how has the prevalence, incidence, severity and frequency of different types of gender-based violence (including online violence and child marriage) changed during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic? | 3.68 | 3.37 | 2.43 |
| RQ2 | Gender-based violence: which women and girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination (including age, poverty, disability, sexuality, etc) are the most vulnerable to, and affected by, different types of gender-based violence during the pandemic? | 3.60 | 3.39 | 2.33 |
| RQ4 | Gender-based violence: what are the determinants and pathways of increased gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19? | 3.61 | 3.39 | 2.25 |
| RQ7 | Gender-based violence: what policies, programmes and interventions have been successful and most cost-effective in preventing gender-based violence during the pandemic and over the long term? | 3.61 | 3.38 | 2.05 |
| Thematic group on governance | ||||
| RQ33 | Data and research governance: how can national statistical systems be supported to produce and use sex and gender data during COVID-19 and future pandemics? | 3.67 | 3.34 | 2.07 |
| RQ1 | Gender mainstreaming: what do responsive and resilient health systems that address gender bias and advance gender equality look like? | 3.66 | 3.36 | 2.07 |
| RQ11 | Gender mainstreaming: to what extent, and how, is gender considered in the current decision-making and learning processes for COVID-19? | 3.61 | 3.36 | 2.47 |
NCDs, non-communicable diseases; R&D, research and development.