Skip to main content
. 2012 May 16;2012(5):CD002137. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002137.pub3

Minnesota Coron women1989.

Methods  
Participants Institutionalised women living in a mental hospital (USA)
 CVD risk: low
 Control: randomised 2320, analysed unclear
 Intervention: randomised 2344, analysed unclear
 Mean years in trial: control 1.0, intervention 1.1
 % male: 0
 Age: unclear, ranges from <30 to >70
Interventions Modified fat diet vs. usual diet
Control aims: usual institutional diet provided
 Intervention aims: institutional diet modified to total fat 45%E, PUFA 18‐20%E, P/S 2.5, less than 150mg/day dietary chol
Control methods: whole diet provided
Intervention methods: whole diet provided
Total fat intake (over 4 years): mod fat 37.8 (sd unclear)%E, cont 39.1 (sd unclear)%E
Saturated fat intake (over 4 years): mod fat 9.2 (sd unclear)%E, cont 18.3 (sd unclear)%E
Style: diet provided
Setting: residential institution
Outcomes Stated trial outcomes: MI, mortality, sudden deaths
 Data available on total mortality? yes
 Cardiovascular mortality? yes
 Events available for combined cardiovascular events: total MI plus sudden death plus stroke
Secondary outcomes: stroke, cancer deaths, total MI
Tertiary outcomes: none (data provided on total cholesterol and TGs but no variance info)
Notes This was a 4.5 year institutional study, but as turnover of participants was very high average time in trial per participant was actually around one year. Participants were replaced as they left, and often left the institution and later returned.
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Low risk "stratified randomisation"
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk Randomisation method not clearly described
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) 
 All outcomes Low risk Physician blinding: adequate
 Participant blinding: adequate
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) 
 All outcomes High risk No, participants appear to have been lost on leaving the institution
Selective reporting (reporting bias) Low risk Not relevant for primary and secondary outcomes as all trialists asked for data
Other bias Low risk  
Free of systematic difference in care? Low risk Whole diet provided for both groups. See Control and Intervention Methods in Interventions section of the Table of Characteristics of Included Studies
Free of dietary differences other than fat? Low risk See Control and Intervention Aims in Interventions section of the Table of Characteristics of Included Studies