Causal and associational language in observational health research : a systematic evaluation
Abstract
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 and screened for 1,170 articles from 18 high-profile journals (65 per journal) published from 2010-2019. Based on written framing and systematic guidance, three 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 34.2%, Moderate 33.2%, and Strong 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.
Citation
Haber , N A , Wieten , S E , Rohrer , J M , Arah , O A , Tennant , P W G , Stuart , E A , Murray , E J , Pilleron , S , Lam , S T , Riederer , E , Howcutt , S J , Simmons , A E , Leyrat , C , Schoenegger , P , Booman , A , Dufour , M-S K , O'Donoghue , A L , Baglini , R , Do , S , Takashima , M D L R , Evans , T R , Rodriguez-Molina , D , Alsalti , T M , Dunleavy , D J , Meyerowitz-Katz , G , Antonietti , A , Calvache , J A , Kelson , M J , Salvia , M G , Parra , C O , Khalatbari-Soltani , S , McLinden , T , Chatton , A , Seiler , J , Steriu , A , Alshihayb , T S , Twardowski , S E , Dabravolskaj , J , Au , E , Hoopsick , R A , Suresh , S , Judd , N , Peña , S , Axfors , C , Khan , P , Rivera Aguirre , A E , Odo , N U , Schmid , I & Fox , M P 2022 , ' Causal and associational language in observational health research : a systematic evaluation ' , American Journal of Epidemiology , vol. 191 , no. 12 , kwac137 , pp. 2084-2097 . https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwac137
Publication
American Journal of Epidemiology
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0002-9262Type
Journal article
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.