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Table 2 Design features for determining study eligibility and description (adapted from [31])

From: Long-term effects of alcohol consumption on cognitive function: a systematic review and dose-response analysis of evidence published between 2007 and 2018

Study design feature

Prospective cohort

Retrospective cohort

Nested case-control

(1) A comparison between two or more groups of participants with different levels or patterns of alcohol consumption (‘yes’ = cohort or NCC)

Yes

Yes

Yes

(2a) Participants were allocated to groups based on different levels or patterns of alcohol exposure

Yes

Yes

No (based on outcome)

(2b) Participants were allocated to groups on the basis of outcomes

No

No

Yes

(3) The following parts of the study were prospective:

   

a. Identification of participants

Yes

No

Yes

b. Assessment of alcohol consumption and allocation to alcohol consumption categories prior to follow-up measures of cognition

Yes

No

Yes (from existing records)

c. Assessment of outcomes (baseline cognition)

Yes

Possibly

Yes

d. Generation of hypotheses

Yes

Yes

Yes

Assessment of comparability of groups was based on:

   

• Potential confounders

Possibly

Possibly

Possibly

• Outcome variables at baseline

Possibly

Possibly

No