Systematic Review Exploring the Possible Effects of Military Occupational Exposures on Reproductive Health

Funding opportunity

Researchers are invited to apply for a new grant funding opportunity sponsored by Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) Director of Women and Diversity Health (D WDH) to conduct a systematic review exploring the possible effects of military occupational exposures on reproductive health outcomes in CAF women and diverse members. This systematic review is required to provide a rigorous and up to date overview of the evidence applicable to the CAF regarding occupational exposures and reproductive health outcomes in military women and diverse members. Researchers are encouraged to use a broad search strategy so that research conducted in militaries internationally, including comparable countries such as the UK and Australia, is included. Further, studies from grey literature should also be captured.

Anticipated timeline and budget

Background

Women and diverse populations have been historically under-researched in medicine, and this has limited our knowledge of their unique health needs, including health risks, prevention, and treatment options. For these reasons, CFHS established D WDH. The D WDH aims to optimize prevention and care for women and diverse members, using an intersectional lens to improve their physical, mental and psychosocial wellbeing. This is aligned with governmental priorities and current shifts in research.

Since the inception of the D WDH in 2022, the Directorate has focused on establishing relationships with stakeholders and partners to identify collaborative opportunities and minimize duplication of effort, as well as to begin to identify opportunities for high priority research.

This systematic review is required to help D WDH identify knowledge gaps which will help setting the research agenda and understanding implications for decision-making related to occupational exposures and reproductive health. In April of 2024, a systematic review was published titled “Effect of active-duty military service on neonatal birth outcomes: a systematic review” . This review focused on four neonatal outcomes; low birth weight, preterm birth, preterm labour, and stillbirth. However, for the CAF, it would be beneficial to expand on these outcomes to include additional reproductive health outcomes that are relevant, such as early pregnancy loss and infertility.

In addition to including reproductive health outcomes and not exclusively neonatal health outcomes, researchers are encouraged to expand the search strategy beyond serving military members to include Veterans, and to take a more expansive approach regarding inclusion criteria for study design when preparing their systematic review protocol.

Exploring a potential association between occupational exposures and reproductive health has been identified as a priority for D WDH, and a rigorous and expansive appraisal of the evidence is needed to inform the research program and ensure that D WDH proceeds in an evidence-based and inclusive manner that will deliver high quality outcomes in the years to come.

Research objectives

This funding opportunity is seeking submissions from researchers to conduct a systematic review exploring the possible effects of military occupational exposures on reproductive health outcomes in CAF military women and diverse members. Researchers are encouraged to use a broad search strategy so that applicable research from different militaries and contexts is included. Sub-analysis or interpretation may be needed to demonstrate generalizability to the CAF. Researchers are encouraged to include research from grey literature to not limit the systematic review to the published literature. Researchers are expected to follow established methods for scoping reviews (e.g., PRISMA). Some members of the research team should have previous experience with conducting and publishing systematic reviews.

Desired outputs

• Systematic or scoping review in the format of a manuscript and of appropriate quality, ready for submission, or already submitted, for publication in a scientific peer-reviewed journal (please include any publication fees in your application).
• Appropriate PRISMA checklist.
• Comment on any additional considerations for developing a relevant policy approach or strategy relating to healthcare or health services for women and diverse CAF members.
• SAGER guidelines followed.
• Search strategy should be broadly focused to include international literature, and grey literature.
• Final Report that includes Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Data analysis, Results, Discussion and References, and the other specifications described above.
• Quarterly progress reports provided to the D WDH.
• Virtual presentation of findings to project sponsor (may take place after the project end date).

Applicant qualifications and requirements

• Principal investigator on the project must have a PhD in a relevant field.
• All appropriate academic research guidelines must be followed, including, when required, a research ethics board approval from Defence Research Development Canada (DRDC) or any accredited academic institution in Canada. All documentation will be required prior to funding being issued.

Application deadline

Please download and submit the Research Funding Application form.

Enquiries

Questions about this funding opportunity can be emailed to the VAC Research office.