Table 1.
Checklist for assessment methodological quality for cross sectional, case-control, and prospective cohort study designs.
| Domain and item number | Description | CS | CC | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study objective | ||||
| 1 | Positive, if the study had a clearly defined objective | + | + | + |
| Study population | ||||
| 2 | Positive, if the main features of the study population are described (sampling frame and distribution of the population according to age and sex) | + | + | + |
| 3 | Positive, if cases and controls are drawn from the same population and a clear definition of cases and controls is given and if subjects with the disease/symptom in the past 3 months are excluded from the control group | + | ||
| 4 | Positive, if the participation rate is at least 80% or if the participation rate is 60%–80% and the non-response is not selective (data shown) | + | + | + |
| 5 | Positive, if the participation rate at main moment of follow-up is at least 80% or if the non-response is not selective (data shown) | + | ||
| Measurements | ||||
| 6 | Positive, if data on history of the disease/symptom is collected and included in the statistical analysis | + | + | + |
| 7 | Positive, if the outcome is measured in an identical manner among cases and controls | + | ||
| 8 | Positive, if the outcome assessment is blinded with respect to disease status | + | + | |
| 9 | Positive, if the outcome is assessed at a time before the occurrence of the disease/symptom | + | ||
| Assessment of the outcome | ||||
| 10 | Positive, if the time-period on which the assessment of disease/symptom was based was at least 1 year | + | ||
| 11 | Method for assessing injury status: physical examination blinded to exposure status (+); self-reported: specific questions relating to symptoms/disease/use of manikin (+), single question (−) | + | + | + |
| 12 | Positive, if incident cases were included (prospective enrollment) | + | ||
| Analysis and data presentation | ||||
| 13 | Positive, if the measures of association or group comparisons estimated were presented including confidence intervals | + | + | + |
| 14 | Positive, if the analysis is controlled for confounding or effect modification: individual factors | + | + | + |
| 15 | Positive, if the analysis is controlled for confounding or effect modification: other factors | + | + | + |
| 16 | Positive, if the number of cases in the final multivariate model was at least 10 times the number of independent variables in the analysis | + | + | + |
| Total possible score (sum of Items 3–16) | 8 | 12 | 9 | |
Abbreviations: CC = case-control; CS = cross sectional; PC = prospective cohort.