Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Despite the importance of nutrition for health and development, a limited number of nutrition-related Cochrane Reviews exist. These reviews are of uncertain quality and relevance.
Objectives: To assess the scope and methodological quality of nutrition-related reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR).
Methods: We screened the CDSR (February 2014) to identify nutrition-related reviews and protocols according to pre-specified eligibility criteria. Two authors independently performed data extraction (PICOS) and quality assessment (AMSTAR) of eligible reviews. We report our findings using statistical and narrative description.
Results: We screened 8217 records, which yielded 536 (6.5%) relevant reviews (n = 400) or protocols (n = 136) distributed across 45 Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs). Eight CRGs had no nutrition-related reviews. The median number of nutrition-related reviews across all CRGs was four (interquartile range: 1 to 9). CRGs with the most reviews were Pregnancy & Childbirth (n = 64/527), Neonatal (n = 60/303), Metabolic & Endocrine Disorders (n = 26/100), and Developmental, Psychosocial & Learning Disorders (n = 23/121). The most common type of intervention evaluated was nutritional supplements (n = 232), followed by food/dietary patterns (n = 139), with some reviews including several intervention types. Outcomes related to clinical or nutritional status assessment were most frequent (n = 385; 96%), followed by disease incidence or prevalence (n = 199; 49%). Non-randomized studies were included in only three reviews (< 1%) and GRADE was utilized in 85 (21%). The quality assessment is in progress and will be reported at the Colloquium.
Conclusions: A relatively small proportion of Cochrane Reviews address nutrition-related interventions. These are mainly concentrated in two CRG’s, with remaining reviews thinly spread across other groups. Current reviews focus on nutritional supplements and clinical or nutritional status outcomes. These findings can inform Cochrane actions to improve the quantity, quality and relevance of nutrition-related reviews for better nutrition policies and practice.
Objectives: To assess the scope and methodological quality of nutrition-related reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR).
Methods: We screened the CDSR (February 2014) to identify nutrition-related reviews and protocols according to pre-specified eligibility criteria. Two authors independently performed data extraction (PICOS) and quality assessment (AMSTAR) of eligible reviews. We report our findings using statistical and narrative description.
Results: We screened 8217 records, which yielded 536 (6.5%) relevant reviews (n = 400) or protocols (n = 136) distributed across 45 Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs). Eight CRGs had no nutrition-related reviews. The median number of nutrition-related reviews across all CRGs was four (interquartile range: 1 to 9). CRGs with the most reviews were Pregnancy & Childbirth (n = 64/527), Neonatal (n = 60/303), Metabolic & Endocrine Disorders (n = 26/100), and Developmental, Psychosocial & Learning Disorders (n = 23/121). The most common type of intervention evaluated was nutritional supplements (n = 232), followed by food/dietary patterns (n = 139), with some reviews including several intervention types. Outcomes related to clinical or nutritional status assessment were most frequent (n = 385; 96%), followed by disease incidence or prevalence (n = 199; 49%). Non-randomized studies were included in only three reviews (< 1%) and GRADE was utilized in 85 (21%). The quality assessment is in progress and will be reported at the Colloquium.
Conclusions: A relatively small proportion of Cochrane Reviews address nutrition-related interventions. These are mainly concentrated in two CRG’s, with remaining reviews thinly spread across other groups. Current reviews focus on nutritional supplements and clinical or nutritional status outcomes. These findings can inform Cochrane actions to improve the quantity, quality and relevance of nutrition-related reviews for better nutrition policies and practice.