Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, PR. China.
Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, PR. China. Email:
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2021;30(1):174-183. doi: 10.6133/apjcn.202103_30(1).0020.
Observational studies play a vital role in nutrition journals, but no studies have assessed the reporting quality of observational studies after the publication of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)-nutritional epidemiology (STROBE-nut) statement in 2016. This study assessed the reporting quality of observational studies published in high-impact-factor nutrition journals by using the STROBE-nut statement and explored factors affecting the reporting quality.
All observational studies published in those journals were retrieved using the PubMed database from inception to May 1, 2019. The reporting quality of the included articles was assessed as per the STROBE-nut statement checklist. Compliance with each item of the statement and the total STROBE-nut score were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential factors associated with reporting quality.
Of the 964 observational studies identified, a random sample of 200 articles was considered for analysis. The median compliance with items was 74.0%. Seven items (12.07%) were reported in <10.0% of articles, with STROBE 10 (3.00%), nut-12.2 (2.50%), and nut-14 (2.00%) having the lowest reporting rates. The mean STROBE-nut score was 40.35, which was suboptimal. STROBE-nut scores were higher for cohort studies (p=0.04) and when statisticians or epidemiologists were involved in the study (p=0.004).
Observational studies published in nutrition journals were found to have suboptimal reporting quality. Nutrition journals should endorse the STROBEnut statement checklist for observational studies to improve reporting quality and provide readers with reliable evidence.
观察性研究在营养学期刊中起着至关重要的作用，但在 2016 年《加强观察性研究报告质量的流行病学（STROBE）-营养流行病学（STROBE-nut）声明》发表后，尚无研究评估观察性研究的报告质量。本研究使用 STROBE-nut 声明评估了发表在高影响力营养期刊上的观察性研究的报告质量，并探讨了影响报告质量的因素。
使用 PubMed 数据库从创刊到 2019 年 5 月 1 日检索了这些期刊上发表的所有观察性研究。根据 STROBE-nut 声明检查表评估纳入文章的报告质量。计算每个项目的合规性和 STROBE-nut 总分。使用逻辑回归分析来确定与报告质量相关的潜在因素。
从 964 项观察性研究中，随机抽取了 200 篇文章进行分析。项目的中位数符合率为 74.0%。有 7 项（12.07%）在<10.0%的文章中未报告，STROBE 10（3.00%）、nut-12.2（2.50%）和 nut-14（2.00%）的报告率最低。STROBE-nut 总分为 40.35，得分不理想。队列研究（p=0.04）和研究中有统计学家或流行病学家参与（p=0.004）时，STROBE-nut 评分更高。
营养期刊发表的观察性研究报告质量不理想。营养期刊应支持 STROBE-nut 观察性研究声明检查表，以提高报告质量并为读者提供可靠的证据。
