Medical Research Council Nutrition and Bone Health Group, University of Cambridge, Clifford Allbutt Building, Hills Road, CambridgeCB2 0AH, England.
Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, PO Box 273, The Gambia.
Proc Nutr Soc. 2021 Aug;80(3):373-381. doi: 10.1017/S0029665121000574. Epub 2021 Mar 22.
Policy decisions and the practice of public health nutrition need to be based on solid evidence, developed through rigorous research studies where objective measures are used and results that run counter to dogma are not dismissed but investigated. In recent years, enhancements in study designs, and methodologies for systematic reviews and meta-analysis, have improved the evidence-base for nutrition policy and practice. However, these still rely on a full appreciation of the strengths and limitations of the measures on which conclusions are drawn and on the thorough investigation of outcomes that do not fit expectations or prevailing convictions. The importance of 'hard facts' and 'misfits' in research designed to advance knowledge and improve public health nutrition is illustrated in this paper through a selection of studies from different stages in my research career, focused on the nutritional requirements of resource-poor populations in Africa and Asia.
政策决策和公共卫生营养实践需要基于坚实的证据，这些证据是通过严格的研究来制定的，其中使用客观的措施，并且不会摒弃与教条相悖的结果，而是对其进行调查。近年来，研究设计的改进以及系统评价和荟萃分析的方法，已经提高了营养政策和实践的证据基础。然而，这些仍然依赖于对结论所依据的措施的优缺点的充分认识，以及对不符合预期或普遍信念的结果的彻底调查。本文通过我研究生涯不同阶段的一系列研究，说明了在旨在增进知识和改善公共卫生营养的研究中，“确凿事实”和“异常情况”的重要性，这些研究重点关注非洲和亚洲资源匮乏人群的营养需求。
