In every research there are always potential threats to validity and in the reviewed article Boffetta et al, there are several like; confounding, situation, and single group threats among others. Before we proceed with the explanation of the above identified threats to validity, perhaps it is important to first understand what validity is with respect to research methods and its key components. Validity is the greatest estimate of the certainty in conclusion or inferences, generally of cause and effect.1 One of the key features of determining cause and effect that Boffetta et al does not meet is the No Plausible Alternative Explanation, which is the fact that no other causes can lead to the hypothesized effect.1 In summary, the …show more content…
Single group was another threat to validity that was evident in Boffetta et al. The data for their base line group was only based on answers of the subjects from their past one year history of not eating or eating fruits and vegetables, while the experimental group was observed for 8.7 years. A control group is vital to evaluate the baseline or effects without the program, treatment,1 and in this case a group that did not eat high fruits and vegetables should have been observed also for 8.7 years. Situation was yet another threat to validity in Boffetta et al, in that the timing/time, conditions, location, type of fruits and vegetables, and age may have been other influencing factors in the results. The data was based on subjects that were observed for 8.7 years, which is a very long time since subjects grow up, go through other life changing situations like diseases, diet changes and preferences, and personality issues/bias. In fact Boffetta et al concedes in their discussion of the results that “In addition to misclassification inherent in the use of self-reported nutritional habits (31), dietary habits measured only at enrollment may have changed during follow-up and resulted in exposure misclassification. The risk of cancer and other chronic diseases might also be associated with changes in dietary habits during follow-up, particularly in high-risk individuals (e.g., those overweight and obese),
In the first trial with participants eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables, my initial
In addition dietary behaviour is a very a important factor for humans to keep and maintain good health and wellbeing. A poor Diet and nutrition that is full of saturated fats and Insufficient a amount of fruits and vegetables, consisting of less than two serves of fruits and fewer than 5 serves of fruits a day can increase the risk of chronic illness. However a diet considering of more than three fruits and five fruits a day is a protective factor and can reduce the risks of illnesses such as type
Based on a 24 Hour Recall of my diet, results using NutriCalc Plus report that my food intake lacked a healthy balance of all food groups. My Grain intake reached only 60% of the My Plate daily recommendations. My Vegetable intake was a mere 50% of the recommended servings. Additionally, I consumed 84% of the daily recommendations for the Dairy Group. Nonetheless, I did exceed the recommendations for the Fruit Group and Protein Group with intakes of 155% and 107%, respectively.
In reviewing this article, this writer was able critique the study and the suitability that it can possess if applied to actual practice. An important factor on whether a study can be considered valuable is if it is transferable in other situation, that is, a study's results should also be reflective if duplicated on other samples (Polit & Beck, 2006). Thus, the statistical power, internal and external validity are important to observe and note (Polit & Beck). If this writer were to carry out this study, it would have to be reflective of how the researcher performed it originality.
Every year, 1.2 million people are diagnosed with cancer and more than 500,000 people die from the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, over 30% of these deaths can be attributed to diet. This means that the average person can greatly lower his risk of getting cancer simply by changing his diet. There is, of course, no guarantee against cancer, but the lifestyle choices that we make now can have a huge impact on our lives in the future. (http://www.aicr.org/expert1.htm)
My diet in comparison to the Canadian Food Guide, was noticeably inconsistent with the recommended number of servings per day. I was unable to meet the recommended serving for all of the the food groups. Out of all the groups milk and meat alternatives serving were the lowest. Furthermore, there was a lack of variety within the diet, over the course of three days the meals tended to be the same . It can be argued that portions sizes were relatively small. Although some days there was an adequate amount of vegetables & fruits, there was inadequate average intake overall.
One criticism of this research is that it is correlational. Therefore, we cannot infer a causal
While the methodology of the research seemed solid, there were factors which were out of the control of the researchers which made the process more difficult to verify. Because the researchers chose a public web forum, they were unable to verify the legitimacy
Scientists strive for objectivity, a value that requires some elimination of variation in seeking to find the one truth. These basic foundational rules of science limit what can and cannot be recommended by the disciplines that science informs. Dietitians are also bound to the same rules of scientific understanding by the principal of evidence-based practice, and can only provide clients with what the science says at this time. Unfortunately, it is impossible to reconcile the understandings science currently has regarding the human body with optimal dietary recommendations.
Now, it is time to give an overview of some of the design threats to construct validity. If the researcher did not define the construct efficiently than it can lead to the inadequate preoperational explication of constructs threat (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Next, is the mono-operation bias, which is the use of the study program only one time and one place (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Third, the mono-method bias is the use of any one measure or observation (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Finally, the confounding constructs and the levels of constructs threat (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Overall, this threat to construct validity is a labeling issue like some of the other threats to construct validity (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). However, there are more design threats than listed in this paper to construct
Quantitative and Qualitative are said to be systematic in different design. Both design have to follow a process system that involved defining a principle of research.
The “accrual of high-level evidence,” according to a review of studies that was published last year in an American Medical Association journal, shows “that the supplements lack efficacy across a range of health outcomes.”
When eating habits and changing diets are certainly having an impact on weight problems, for example, “decline in the consumption of fresh vegetables and increase in the consumption of processed vegetables”
Although the investigation was able to provide more knowledge and understanding regarding the relationships between energy, activity levels and carbohydrate intake in order to contribute towards a solution to the problem of obesity, there were many limitations to this experiment that needed to be considered. For the personal data, the dietary observations collected over the two experimental days were not substantial to represent their lifestyle as a whole. Studies led by Burke et al., (2001) demonstrated that individuals can make inaccurate reports in various ways such as altering their dietary intake during period of recording, omitting or underestimating their intake and quantification errors of their consumption. As the group data was a collation of individual’s two-day dietary records, variability and inaccuracy increased considering the wide range of influences each individual may have been subjected to. There were 359 females and 195 males involved in the
The study for this thesis will be exploratory research using secondary data collected by the communication agency, MESH Planning. The agency developed an innovative approach called ‘real-time experience tracking’, which involves three stages of data collection. And both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and used in this context in order to get an insight of critical incidents.