Evaluation questions (1 = yes; 2 = partially; 3 = no; 4 = not stated; 5 = not applicable) | Evaluation results | ||||||||||||||
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Author, year, reference | A) Selection bias | Information bias | Confounding | Total # Yes | Overall quality: strong, 10 yes and + ; moderate, 6–9 yes; weak, 1–5 yes | ||||||||||
1) Did 80–100% of selected individuals agree to participate? | 2) Were all participants selected or recruited from the same population, subject or unit of study, or similar populations, including the same period? | 3) Selection of participants into the study, or into the analysis, not based on participant characteristics observed after the start of the exposure or exposure window being studied | 4) Does 80–100% of participants completed the study? | 5) About the risk of bias arising from the measurement of outcomes, measurement or ascertainment of the outcome has not differed between exposure groups or levels of exposure | 6) Does the measured exposure (including changes over time) well-characterize the exposure metric specified to be of interest in this study? | 7) Were exposure have been assessed more than once over time of observation? | 8) Assessment of the outcome has not been influenced by knowledge of participants’ exposure history? | 9) Have the main potential confounders been measured? | 10) Is the percentage of confounding factors controlled at least equal to 60–79%? | 11) Were confounding factors that were controlled for, and for which control was necessary, measured validly and reliably by the variables available in this study? | 12) Have the main potential confounders or confounders been statistically adjusted for their impact on the relationship between exposure and outcomes? | 13) Did the authors use an analysis method that was appropriate to control for time-varying confounding? |