Incorporating sex and gender into health research funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health: lessons learned in 15 years and prospects for change

Incorporating sex and gender differences into health research demonstrates the inequalities in the health of women, men and intersex people. This study analyzed funding provided by the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s Department of Science and Technology (Decit/MS) for research incorporating sex and gender in Brazil between 2004 and 2018, stratified by year, region, funding format, and type of research. This is a descriptive retrospective study based on public secondary data provided by Decit/MS. A total of 171 studies were funded, with a value of 30.5 million PPP$, most conducted in educational and research institutions in Southeast Brazil (78.4%). Stratified analysis revealed no significant difference in the amount of funding provided under different government administrations. The largest investment was for national research funding (57.9%). Ten institutions received most of the financial resources provided (82.8%). The most funded research was on population and public health (62%). The most studied topic was chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCD) (29%). Investments in research were insufficient and unequally distributed among regions, receiving institutions, and types of research. Government and funding agencies need to implement specific action plans to encourage understanding of sex and gender disparities in the Brazilian health sector.