Artikel
Methodological challenges of evidence synthesis in Nutrition
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Autoren
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Daniela Küllenberg de Gaudry
- Cochrane Germany, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Deutschland
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Solange Durão
- Cochrane Nutrition Field, Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Südafrika
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Celeste Naude
- Cochrane Nutrition Field, Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Südafrika
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Joerg J. Meerpohl
- Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique, INSERM Sorbonne Paris Cité – U1153, Cochrane France, Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu, Paris, Deutschland
| Veröffentlicht: | 23. Februar 2017 |
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Gliederung
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Background: Nutritional epidemiology research has expanded over the last 50 years, and the number of trials has increased exponentially. Generally, this growth has not led to better quality or more useful nutrition research results. Instead, duplication and redundant efforts have characterized many research initiatives. Furthermore, a strong interdependence between nutrition and the complex biological, physical and social systems that affect nutrition outcomes contributes to the difficulties of executing nutrition studies and synthesizing its evidence. Although there have been several activities to enhance nutrition research prioritization, design, management, reporting and interpretation, many aspects still need to be improved. Nutrition knowledge generation and translation include three main steps: 1) Primary nutrition research, 2) Evidence synthesis, and 3) Translation of research results into guidance and policy. There is a need to improve methodological approaches in each step to close the gap between research, evidence-based recommendations and practice in nutrition.
Objectives: To improve the evidence base in the field of nutrition by identifying methodological challenges in the three steps of nutrition knowledge generation and translation, and to develop solutions for tackling this challenges.
Methods: A research programme with various subprojects has been defined to analyse the current methodological gaps and the existing tools in order to develop further research tools to support the three steps of knowledge generation and translation. These include e.g. evaluation of publication practice and impact of dissemination bias; improvement of design and conduct of nutrition studies; improvement of statistical approaches in systematic reviews (SR) of nutritional studies; evaluation and improvement of tools used during conduct of nutrition SR; improved consideration of surrogate parameters, risk factors, and effect modifiers in SR; assessing and improving fitness of SR in underpinning nutritional guidance; and evidence used in health claims.
Findings from all subprojects will aim to contribute to increasing the value of nutrition research by improving the quality and transparency of nutrition-related research findings, and by supporting effective and timely knowledge transfer.
