Table 3 Importance of a determinant
From: Determinants of dietary behavior among youth: an umbrella review
Five categories of importance are defined: ++ / + / 0 / - / -- | |
|---|---|
The categories are defined as follows: | |
++ | The variable has been found to be a statistically significant determinant in all identified reviews, without exception. This could mean that only one review has included a particular variable, and showed that this was a significant correlate and/or reported a (non)-significant effect size larger than 0.30, but it could also mean that a number of reviews were conducted that included this variable and all of them concluded that the variable was significantly related to the particular behavioral outcome. |
+ | The variable has been found to be a statistically significant determinant and/or reported a (non)-significant effect size larger than 0.30 in most reviews or studies within the review, with some exceptions. This implies that > 75% of the available reviews concluded the variable to be related, or the separate reviews report that 75% or more of the original studies concluded the factor to be related. This could therefore mean that only one review has included a particular variable, and showed that this was a significant correlate in > 75% of studies. But it could also mean that a number of reviews were executed towards this variable and most, but not all, concluded that the variable was significantly related to the particular behavioral outcome. |
0 | The variable has been found to be a determinant and/or reported a (non)-significant effect size larger than 0.30 in some reviews (25% to 75% of available reviews or of the studies reviewed in these reviews), but not in others. This could mean that only one review has included a particular variable, and showed ‘mixed findings’, but it could also mean that results are mixed across reviews. |
- | The variable has been found not to be a determinant, with some exceptions. This implies that <25% of the available reviews or of the original studies in the included reviews concluded that the variable was related. This could thus mean that only one review has included a particular variable, and generally showed ‘null findings’, with some exceptions. But it could also mean that a number of reviews were executed towards this variable and most, but not all, concluded that the variable was not significantly related to the particular behavioral outcome. |
-- | The variable has been found not to be related to this particular outcome. The absence of a relation was identified in all identified reviews, without exception. This could mean that only one review has included a particular variable, and showed that this correlate was not related to the behavior in question, but it could also mean that a number of reviews were executed towards this variable and all of them concluded that the variable was unrelated to the particular behavioral outcome. |