Table 1. Characteristics of 612 Pediatric Trials Published in Leading Pediatric and General Medical Journals From 2011 to 2020a.
| Characteristic | Trials, No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Trial allocation | |
| Randomized | 574 (93.8) |
| Not randomized | 35 (5.7) |
| Not specified | 3 (0.5) |
| Trial masking | |
| Nonblinded | 159 (26.0) |
| Open-label | 153 (25.0) |
| Double-blind | 127 (20.8) |
| Single-blind | 98 (16.0) |
| Other | 27 (4.4) |
| Not specified | 48 (7.8) |
| Trial phase | |
| 1 | 17 (2.8) |
| 2 | 46 (7.5) |
| 3 | 73 (11.9) |
| 4 | 14 (2.3) |
| Not specified | 59 (9.6) |
| Not applicable | 403 (65.8) |
| Participant enrollment | |
| <100 | 172 (28.1) |
| 100-499 | 284 (46.4) |
| >500 | 156 (25.5) |
| Trial intervention | |
| Behavioral | 244 (39.9) |
| Drug or biologic agent | 195 (31.9) |
| Device or procedure | 75 (12.3) |
| Dietary supplement | 44 (7.2) |
| Health services | 21 (3.4) |
| Screening or referral | 26 (4.2) |
| Other | 7 (1.1) |
| Disease studiedb | |
| Infectious diseases | 95 (14.8) |
| Endocrine or metabolic diseases | 63 (9.8) |
| Lung diseases | 61 (9.5) |
| Neurologic disorders | 56 (8.7) |
| Developmental disorders | 53 (8.2) |
| Nutrition, obesity, and growth | 52 (8.1) |
| Neonatal disorders | 49 (7.6) |
| Cancer | 31 (4.8) |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | 29 (4.5) |
| Mental illness | 26 (4.0) |
| Substance use disorders | 25 (3.9) |
| Social determinants of health | 22 (3.4) |
| Sexual activity or pregnancy | 18 (2.8) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 16 (2.5) |
| Injuries or physical trauma | 9 (1.4) |
| Other | 38 (5.9) |
| Funding source | |
| Public | 345 (55.9) |
| Private | 114 (18.5) |
| Public and private | 128 (20.7) |
| None reported | 30 (4.9) |
| Recruitment sites | |
| 1 | 367 (64.3) |
| 2-4 | 79 (13.8) |
| >5 | 125 (21.9) |
| Participant primary language reported in article | 162 (26.4) |
| Article reported community stakeholder involvement | 59 (9.6) |
| Published in journal with race or ethnicity reporting statement | 425 (69.4) |
| Socioeconomic data reported in articlec | 296 (48.3) |
a
JAMA Pediatrics, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, Pediatrics, Journal of Adolescent Health, The Journal of Pediatrics, New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, and PLoS Medicine.
b
In 31 trials, more than 1 disease category was studied.
c
Included insurance type or status, household income, community-level income, caregiver education, caregiver employment status, and receipt of social benefits.