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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Causal and Associational Language in Observational Health Research: A Systematic Evaluation
American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 191, No. 12, Year 2022
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Description
We estimated the degree to which language used in the high-profile medical/public health/epidemiology literature implied causality using language linking exposures to outcomes and action recommendations; examined disconnects between language and recommendations; identified the most common linking phrases; and estimated how strongly linking phrases imply causality. We searched for and screened 1,170 articles from 18 high-profile journals (65 per journal) published from 2010–2019. Based on written framing and systematic guidance, 3 reviewers rated the degree of causality implied in abstracts and full text for exposure/outcome linking language and action recommendations. Reviewers rated the causal implication of exposure/outcome linking language as none (no causal implication) in 13.8%, weak in 34.2%, moderate in 33.2%, and strong in 18.7% of abstracts. The implied causality of action recommendations was higher than the implied causality of linking sentences for 44.5% or commensurate for 40.3% of articles. The most common linking word in abstracts was “associate” (45.7%). Reviewers’ ratings of linking word roots were highly heterogeneous; over half of reviewers rated “association” as having at least some causal implication. This research undercuts the assumption that avoiding “causal” words leads to clarity of interpretation in medical research. © The Author(s) 2022.
Authors & Co-Authors
Haber, Noah A.
Unknown Affiliation
Arah, Onyebuchi A.
Unknown Affiliation
Stuart, Elizabeth A.
Unknown Affiliation
Murray, Eleanor J.
Unknown Affiliation
Pilleron, Sophie
Unknown Affiliation
Lam, Szetung
Unknown Affiliation
Leyrat, Clémence
Unknown Affiliation
Kang-Dufour, Mi Suk
Unknown Affiliation
Do, Stefanie
Unknown Affiliation
Evans, Thomas R.
Unknown Affiliation
Antonietti, Alberto
Unknown Affiliation
Calvache, Jose Andres
Unknown Affiliation
McLinden, Taylor
Unknown Affiliation
Steriu, Andreea
Unknown Affiliation
Au, Eric H.K.
Unknown Affiliation
Axfors, Cathrine
Unknown Affiliation
Khan, Palwasha Y.
Unknown Affiliation
Fox, Matthew P.
Unknown Affiliation
Statistics
Citations: 12
Authors: 18
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/aje/kwac137
ISSN:
00029262