Review

. 2017 Sep 15;8(5):639-651.

doi: 10.3945/an.117.015651. Print 2017 Sep.

Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional Epidemiologic Research

Chen Yang¹, Mariona Pinart², Patrick Kolsteren¹, John Van Camp¹, Nathalie De Cock¹, Katharina Nimptsch², Tobias Pischon^{2

3

4

5}, Eamon Laird⁶, Giuditta Perozzi⁷, Raffaella Canali⁷, Axelle Hoge⁸, Marta Stelmach-Mardas^{9

10}, Lars Ove Dragsted¹¹, Stéphanie Maria Palombi¹¹, Irina Dobre¹¹, Jildau Bouwman¹², Peter Clarys¹³, Fabio Minervini¹⁴, Maria De Angelis¹⁴, Marco Gobbetti¹⁵, Jean Tafforeau¹⁶, Oscar Coltell^{17

18}, Dolores Corella^{18

19}, Hendrik De Ruyck²⁰, Janette Walton²¹, Laura Kehoe²¹, Christophe Matthys²², Bernard De Baets²³, Guy De Tré²⁴, Antoon Bronselaer²⁴, Angela Rivellese²⁵, Rosalba Giacco²⁶, Rosario Lombardo²⁷, Sofian De Clercq²⁸, Niels Hulstaert^{29

30}, Carl Lachat¹

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Food Safety and Food Quality, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
³ Charité - Berlin University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, partner site, Berlin, Germany.
⁶ Vitamin Research Group, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
⁷ Food and Nutrition Research Centre, Rome, Italy.
⁸ Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁹ Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
¹¹ Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
¹² Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Zeist, Netherlands.
¹³ Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁴ Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
¹⁵ Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy.
¹⁶ Department of Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁷ Department of Computer Languages and Systems, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.
¹⁸ Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
¹⁹ Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
²⁰ Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Technology and Food Science Unit, Food Safety and Product Innovation, Melle, Belgium.
²¹ School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
²² KU Leuven, Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology and University Hospitals Leuven/KU Leuven, Department of Endocrinology, Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
²³ Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatic, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁴ Telecommunications and Information Processing, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁵ Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
²⁶ Institute of Food Sciences of National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
²⁷ The Microsoft Research, University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology, Trento, Italy.
²⁸ Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁹ Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
³⁰ VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.

PMID: 28916566
PMCID: PMC5593109
DOI: 10.3945/an.117.015651

Review

Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional Epidemiologic Research

Chen Yang et al. Adv Nutr. 2017.

. 2017 Sep 15;8(5):639-651.

doi: 10.3945/an.117.015651. Print 2017 Sep.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Departments of Food Safety and Food Quality, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
³ Charité - Berlin University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
⁵ German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, partner site, Berlin, Germany.
⁶ Vitamin Research Group, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
⁷ Food and Nutrition Research Centre, Rome, Italy.
⁸ Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁹ Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
¹¹ Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
¹² Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Zeist, Netherlands.
¹³ Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁴ Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
¹⁵ Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy.
¹⁶ Department of Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁷ Department of Computer Languages and Systems, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.
¹⁸ Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
¹⁹ Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
²⁰ Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food, Technology and Food Science Unit, Food Safety and Product Innovation, Melle, Belgium.
²¹ School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
²² KU Leuven, Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology and University Hospitals Leuven/KU Leuven, Department of Endocrinology, Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
²³ Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatic, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁴ Telecommunications and Information Processing, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁵ Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
²⁶ Institute of Food Sciences of National Research Council, Avellino, Italy.
²⁷ The Microsoft Research, University of Trento Centre for Computational and Systems Biology, Trento, Italy.
²⁸ Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent, Belgium.
²⁹ Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
³⁰ VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.

PMID: 28916566
PMCID: PMC5593109
DOI: 10.3945/an.117.015651

Abstract

Pooled analysis of secondary data increases the power of research and enables scientific discovery in nutritional epidemiology. Information on study characteristics that determine data quality is needed to enable correct reuse and interpretation of data. This study aims to define essential quality characteristics for data from observational studies in nutrition. First, a literature review was performed to get an insight on existing instruments that assess the quality of cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies and dietary measurement. Second, 2 face-to-face workshops were organized to determine the study characteristics that affect data quality. Third, consensus on the data descriptors and controlled vocabulary was obtained. From 4884 papers retrieved, 26 relevant instruments, containing 164 characteristics for study design and 93 characteristics for measurements, were selected. The workshop and consensus process resulted in 10 descriptors allocated to "study design" and 22 to "measurement" domains. Data descriptors were organized as an ordinal scale of items to facilitate the identification, storage, and querying of nutrition data. Further integration of an Ontology for Nutrition Studies will facilitate interoperability of data repositories.

Keywords: data interoperability; data quality; dietary assessment; nutritional epidemiology; observational study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Author disclosures: CY, MP, PK, JVC, NDC, KN, TP, EL, GP, RC, AH, MS-M, LOD, SMP, ID, JB, PC, FM, MDA, MG, JT, OC, DC, HDR, JW, LK, CM, BDB, GDT, AB, AR, RG, RL, SDC, NH, and CL, no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**FIGURE 1**
The domain-based structure of the essential study quality characteristics.

**FIGURE 2**
Flowchart of study screening and extraction of items for essential study quality characteristics.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional Epidemiologic Research

Affiliations

Perspective: Essential Study Quality Descriptors for Data from Nutritional Epidemiologic Research

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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