Evidence mapPaperPMID 40475187Full record

ArticleCochrane evidence synthesis and methods2024

An evaluation of the recommendations for primary nutrition research addressing noncommunicable disease using the EPICOT+ framework: A cross-sectional descriptive meta-research study of Cochrane nutrition systematic reviews.

Sheena Ruzive, Helene Theunissen, Solange Durão, Marianne E Visser, Celeste E Naude

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cochrane evidence synthesis and methods, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sheena RuziveDivision of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University Tygerberg South Africa.
Helene TheunissenCochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council Tygerberg South Africa.
Solange DurãoCochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council Tygerberg South Africa.
Marianne E VisserCentre for Evidence-based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University Tygerberg South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-9552-5245
Celeste E NaudeCentre for Evidence-based Health Care, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University Tygerberg South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a global health problem and many risk factors associated with the development of NCDs are related to nutrition. Aims: This study aimed to describe and summarize the research recommendations for primary research made in Cochrane nutrition systematic reviews (SRs) addressing NCDs, according to the evidence, population, intervention, comparison, outcome, time stamp (date of search), study design, time frame (length of follow-up) and burden of disease (EPICOT+) framework. Materials & Methods: We screened a database of Cochrane nutrition SRs ( Results: We included 150/692 SRs; most addressed cardiovascular diseases (38.6%), and cancer (17.3%). The EPICOT+ items with the most reported research recommendations were time stamp (98.7%), intervention (94.7%), study design (89.3%), and outcomes (86%), and the least reported were the time frame (52%), comparison (30%), and burden of disease (8%). Most SRs recommended more studies overall (98.7%), assessing specific interventions (93.3%) (e.g., specific foods/food groups and diets/dietary patterns, micronutrient/complementary supplements, nutrition education techniques, and policies/programs) and a range of clinical and patient-related outcomes (84.7%). Recommendations related to study design and quality included the need for more randomized (72.7%), better quality (55.3%), larger (44.7%), and better reported (26%) studies with a long-term duration of follow-up (50.7%). Discussion: Our findings show that research recommendations reported in Cochrane nutrition SRs addressing the four major NCDs and their nutrition-related risk factors largely followed the EPICOT+ framework. For example, items that could be improved upon were the comparison and time frame items. Conclusion: These recommendations could contribute more significantly to planning future primary studies addressing important evidence gaps and limitations in the current evidence base.

Indexed as

Cochrane systematic reviewsEPICOT+ frameworknoncommunicable diseasenutritionresearch recommendations

Identifiers

PMID40475187
PMCPMC11795943

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.