BMJ  2004;329:868-869 (16 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7471.868

Editorial

The scandal of poor epidemiological research

Reporting guidelines are needed for observational epidemiology

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Something surely must be wrong with epidemiology when the new editors of a leading journal in the field entitle their inaugural offering, "Epidemiology—is it time to call it a day?"¹ Observational epidemiology has not had a good press in recent years. Conflicting results from epidemiological studies of the risks of daily life, such as coffee, hair dye, or hormones, are frequently and eagerly reported in the popular press, providing a constant source of anxiety for the public.^{2 3} In many cases deeply held beliefs, given credibility by numerous observational studies over long periods of time, are challenged only when contradicted by randomised trials. In the most recent example, a Cochrane review of randomised trials shows that antioxidant vitamins do not prevent gastrointestinal cancer and may even increase all cause mortality.^{4 5}

Now Pocock et al describe the quality and the litany of problems of 73 epidemiological studies published in January 2001 in . . . [Full text of this article]

(vonelm@ispm.unibe.ch), Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland

(egger@ispm.unibe.ch), Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Berne, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Issues in reporting epidemiological studies: No data are given to support generalisation

David F Blackburn
BMJ 2005 330: 146. [Extract] [Full Text]

Issues in the reporting of epidemiological studies: a survey of recent practice

Stuart J Pocock, Timothy J Collier, Kimberley J Dandreo, Bianca L de Stavola, Marlene B Goldman, Leslie A Kalish, Linda E Kasten, and Valerie A McCormack
BMJ 2004 329: 883. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Muller, M., Egger, M. (2009). Strengthening the reporting of observational epidemiology (STROBE) in sexual health. Sex. Transm. Infect. 85: 162-164 [Full text]  
• Mindlin, M, Jenkins, R, Law, C (2009). Maternal employment and indicators of child health: a systematic review in pre-school children in OECD countries. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 63: 340-350 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Little, J., Higgins, J. P.T., Ioannidis, J. P.A., Moher, D., Gagnon, F., von Elm, E., Khoury, M. J., Cohen, B., Davey-Smith, G., Grimshaw, J., Scheet, P., Gwinn, M., Williamson, R. E., Zou, G. Y., Hutchings, K., Johnson, C. Y., Tait, V., Wiens, M., Golding, J., van Duijn, C., McLaughlin, J., Paterson, A., Wells, G., Fortier, I., Freedman, M., Zecevic, M., King, R., Infante-Rivard, C., Stewart, A., Birkett, N. (2009). STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA): An Extension of the STROBE Statement. ANN INTERN MED 150: 206-215 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Knol, M. J., Vandenbroucke, J. P., Scott, P., Egger, M. (2008). What Do Case-Control Studies Estimate? Survey of Methods and Assumptions in Published Case-Control Research. Am J Epidemiol 168: 1073-1081 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Santibanez, M., Bolumar, F., Garcia, A. M (2007). Occupational risk factors in Alzheimer's disease: a review assessing the quality of published epidemiological studies. Occup. Environ. Med. 64: 723-732 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Egger, M., Altman, D. G, Vandenbroucke, J. P, of the STROBE group, (2007). Commentary: Strengthening the reporting of observational epidemiology the STROBE statement. Int J Epidemiol 0: dym199v1-dym199 [Full text]  
• Scott, P A, Kingsley, G H, Smith, C M, Choy, E H, Scott, D L (2007). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and myocardial infarctions: comparative systematic review of evidence from observational studies and randomised controlled trials. Ann Rheum Dis 66: 1296-1304 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Sanderson, S., Tatt, I. D, Higgins, J. P. (2007). Tools for assessing quality and susceptibility to bias in observational studies in epidemiology: a systematic review and annotated bibliography. Int J Epidemiol 36: 666-676 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Lee, W., Bindman, J., Ford, T., Glozier, N., Moran, P., Stewart, R., Hotopf, M. (2007). Bias in psychiatric case-control studies: Literature survey. Br. J. Psychiatry 190: 204-209 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Thompson, A., Antel, J., Carroll, W. (2007). Editorial. Mult Scler 13: 5-6  
• Johnston, K. C., Holloway, R. G. (2006). There is nothing staid about STARD: progress in the reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies.. Neurology 67: 740-741 [Full text]  
• Smidt, N., Rutjes, A.W.S., van der Windt, D. A.W.M., Ostelo, R. W.J.G., Bossuyt, P. M., Reitsma, J. B., Bouter, L. M., de Vet, H. C.W. (2006). The quality of diagnostic accuracy studies since the STARD statement: has it improved?. Neurology 67: 792-797 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Etminan, M., Gill, S., FitzGerald, M., Samii, A. (2006). Challenges and Opportunities for Pharmacoepidemiology in Drug-Therapy Decision Making. J Clin Pharmacol 46: 6-9 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Batty, G. D., Shipley, M. J., Langenberg, C., Marmot, M. G., Davey Smith, G. (2006). Adult height in relation to mortality from 14 cancer sites in men in London (UK): evidence from the original Whitehall study. Ann Oncol 17: 157-166 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• von Elm, E., Altman, D. G., Pocock, S., Vandenbroucke, J. P., Egger, M. (2005). RE: "QUALITY OF REPORTING OF OBSERVATIONAL LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH". Am J Epidemiol 162: 1032-1033 [Full text]  
• Barreto, M. L (2005). Efficacy, effectiveness, and the evaluation of public health interventions. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 59: 345-346 [Full text]  
• Blackburn, D. F (2005). Issues in reporting epidemiological studies: No data are given to support generalisation. BMJ 330: 146-146 [Full text]  
• (2004). Hit parade. BMJ 329: 1350-1350 [Full text]  
• (2004). Robin Goodfellow (43-12). Rheumatology (Oxford) 43: 1598-1598 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Epidemiology: overlooked paramount fundamental bias.

Sergio Stagnaro
bmj.com, 15 Oct 2004 [Full text]

Real time epidemiology - when?

Dan Rutherford
bmj.com, 17 Oct 2004 [Full text]

It is worth looking deeper

Vasiliy Vlassov
bmj.com, 19 Oct 2004 [Full text]

SCIENCE WITHOUT SENSE

BM Hegde
bmj.com, 21 Oct 2004 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more on doc2doc >>