TY - JOUR
T1 - Mediation Analyses
T2 - Applications in Nutrition Research and Reading the Literature
AU - Lockwood, Chondra M.
AU - DeFrancesco, Carol A.
AU - Elliot, Diane L.
AU - Beresford, Shirley A.A.
AU - Toobert, Deborah J.
N1 - Funding Information:
FUNDING/SUPPORT: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants no. R01CA105835 , R01CA105774 , R01HL077120 , and in part by PHS M01 RR00334 .
PY - 2010/5
Y1 - 2010/5
N2 - Mediation analysis is a newer statistical tool that is becoming more prominent in nutrition research. Its use provides insight into the relationship among variables in a potential causal chain. For intervention studies, it can define the influence of different programmatic components and, in doing so, allows investigators to identify and refine a program's critical aspects. We present an overview of mediation analysis, compare mediators with other variables (confounders, moderators, and covariates), and illustrate how mediation analysis permits interpretation of the change process. A framework is outlined for the critical appraisal of articles purporting to use mediation analysis. The framework's utility is demonstrated by searching the nutrition literature and identifying articles citing mediation cross referenced with the terms "nutrition," "diet," "food," and "obesity." Seventy-two articles were identified that involved human subjects and behavior outcomes, and almost half mentioned mediation without tests to define its presence. Tabulation of the 40 articles appropriately assessing mediation demonstrates an increase in these techniques' appearance and the breadth of nutrition topics addressed. Mediation analysis is an important new statistical tool. Familiarity with its methodology and a framework for assessing articles will allow readers to critically appraise the literature and make informed independent evaluations of works using these techniques.
AB - Mediation analysis is a newer statistical tool that is becoming more prominent in nutrition research. Its use provides insight into the relationship among variables in a potential causal chain. For intervention studies, it can define the influence of different programmatic components and, in doing so, allows investigators to identify and refine a program's critical aspects. We present an overview of mediation analysis, compare mediators with other variables (confounders, moderators, and covariates), and illustrate how mediation analysis permits interpretation of the change process. A framework is outlined for the critical appraisal of articles purporting to use mediation analysis. The framework's utility is demonstrated by searching the nutrition literature and identifying articles citing mediation cross referenced with the terms "nutrition," "diet," "food," and "obesity." Seventy-two articles were identified that involved human subjects and behavior outcomes, and almost half mentioned mediation without tests to define its presence. Tabulation of the 40 articles appropriately assessing mediation demonstrates an increase in these techniques' appearance and the breadth of nutrition topics addressed. Mediation analysis is an important new statistical tool. Familiarity with its methodology and a framework for assessing articles will allow readers to critically appraise the literature and make informed independent evaluations of works using these techniques.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jada.2010.02.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 20430137
AN - SCOPUS:77951162858
SN - 0002-8223
VL - 110
SP - 753
EP - 762
JO - Journal of the American Dietetic Association
JF - Journal of the American Dietetic Association
IS - 5
ER -