Systematic Review Of Longitudinal Studies Research Articles

The relationship between childcare and adiposity, body mass and obesity-related risk factors: protocol for a systematic review of longitudinal studies.

BackgroundThe rising prevalence of obesity, particularly in childhood, is a global public health emergency. There is some evidence that exposure to non-parental childcare before age 6 years is associated with subsequent development of obesity and obesity-related behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, diet and stress, although these findings are inconsistent. It is possible that the relationship between early childcare and later obesity and obesity-related behaviours depends on characteristics of childcare exposure such as type (i.e. informal versus formal care), duration (i.e. number of years spent in childcare), intensity (e.g. number of hours per week) and timing (i.e. age of onset of childcare) of care received. The relationship may also be moderated by socio-demographic characteristics of children and their families. We will conduct a systematic review exploring longitudinal associations between childcare (type, duration, intensity and timing) and measures of adiposity and body mass, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, diet and stress. We will also assess whether these relationships vary by socio-demographic factors.MethodsWe will include studies that explore longitudinal associations between childcare attendance in children aged <6 years not in primary school at first assessment and body weight, adiposity, physical activity, diet, sleep and stress. We will limit studies to those involving middle- and high-income countries. Two independent reviewers will screen search results in two stages: (1) title and abstract and (2) and full text. One reviewer will extract relevant data and a second will verify this information. We will assess risk of bias of included studies using an adaption of the United States Department of Agriculture National Evidence Library Bias Assessment Tool. We will tabulate and summarise results narratively. We may conduct meta-analysis if at least five studies report comparable data.DiscussionTo our knowledge, this will be the first systematic review to summarise the existing evidence on longitudinal associations between childcare and adiposity, body mass and obesity-related risk factors. The results will be of relevance to other researchers, childcare practitioners and policy makers.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015027233Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0312-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Psychological adjustment after breast cancer: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.

Breast cancer (BC) can be a traumatic and stressful experience for women, but there are wide-ranging differences in the ways in which women respond and adapt to BC. This systematic review examines which sociodemographic, disease-related, and psychosocial factors near diagnosis predict later psychological adjustment to BC. Database searches were conducted in 9 different health-related databases from 2000 to December 2015 using relevant search terms. Full-text, peer-reviewed articles in English that analyzed potential predictors of psychological adjustment in longitudinal studies were considered for inclusion. Of 1780 abstracts, 41 studies fulfilled inclusion criteria. Consistent sociodemographic and disease-related variable predictors of adjustment were income, fatigue, cancer stage, and physical functioning. Psychosocial factors, particularly optimism and trait anxiety, as well as perceived social support, coping strategies, and initial levels of psychological functioning, were found to be predictive of later depressive and anxiety symptoms, psychological distress, and quality of life for women with BC, in predictable ways. Other psychosocial variables, such as cognitive and body image factors, predicted psychological adjustment but were explored only by a few studies. The majority of studies showed a significant relationship between psychosocial factors and psychological adjustment. These results point to specific sociodemographic, disease-related, and psychosocial factors that can help to identify women at the time of diagnosis who are at risk for long-term psychological challenges so they can be referred for psychological support that targets their specific needs and can improve their quality of life and mood and decrease indicators of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.

Consumption of whole grains and cereal fiber in relation to cancer risk: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.

Evidence from previous reviews is supportive of the hypothesis that whole grains may protect against various cancers. However, the reviews did not report risk estimates for both whole grains and cereal fiber and only case-control studies were evaluated. It is unclear whether longitudinal studies support this conclusion. To evaluate associations between whole grains and cereal fiber in relation to risk of lifestyle-related cancers data from longitudinal studies was evaluated. The following 3 databases were systematically searched: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL. A total of 43 longitudinal studies conducted in Europe and North America that reported multivariable-adjusted risk estimates for whole grains (n = 14), cereal fiber (n = 23), or both (n = 6) in relation to lifestyle-related cancers were included. Information on study location, cohort name, follow-up duration, sample characteristics, dietary assessment method, risk estimates, and confounders was extracted. Of 20 studies examining whole grains and cancer, 6 studies reported a statistically significant 6%-47% reduction in risk, but 14 studies showed no association. Of 29 studies examining cereal fiber intake in relation to cancer, 8 showed a statistically significant 6%-49% reduction in risk, whereas 21 studies reported no association. This systematic review concludes that most studies were suggestive of a null association. Whole grains and cereal fiber may protect against gastrointestinal cancers, but these findings require confirmation in additional studies.

Defining and distinguishing promotive and protective effects for childhood externalizing psychopathology: a systematic review.

We examine evidence for whether decreases in externalizing behaviors are driven by the absence of risk (e.g., lack of poor housing quality) or the presence of something positive (e.g., good housing quality). We also review evidence for whether variables have promotive (main) effects or protective (buffering) effects within contexts of risks. We conducted a systematic review of longitudinal studies. First, we review studies (n=7) that trichotomized continuous predictor variables. Trichotomization tests whether the positive end of a variable (e.g., good housing quality) is associated with lower delinquency compared with the mid-range, and whether mid-range scores are associated with fewer problems than the "risky" end (e.g., poor housing quality). We do not review dichotomous variables, because the interpretation of results is the same regardless of which value is the reference group. To address our second aim, we review studies (n=53) that tested an interaction between a risk and positive factor. Both the absence of risk and the presence of positive characteristics were associated with low externalizing problems for IQ, temperament, and some family variables. For other variables, associations with low delinquency involved only the presence of something positive (e.g., good housing quality), or the absence of a risk factor (e.g., community crime). The majority of studies that tested interactions among individual and family characteristics supported protective, rather than promotive, effects. Few studies tested interactions among peer, school, and neighborhood characteristics. We discuss implications for conceptual understanding of promotive and protective factors and for intervention and prevention strategies.

The Relationship Between Shift Work and Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.

Although the metabolic health effects of shift work have been extensively studied, a systematic synthesis of the available research is lacking. This review aimed to systematically summarize the available evidence of longitudinal studies linking shift work with metabolic risk factors. A systematic literature search was performed in 2015. Studies were included if (1) they had a longitudinal design; (2) shift work was studied as the exposure; and (3) the outcome involved a metabolic risk factor, including anthropometric, blood glucose, blood lipid, or blood pressure measures. Eligible studies were assessed for their methodologic quality in 2015. A best-evidence synthesis was used to draw conclusions per outcome. Thirty-nine articles describing 22 studies were included. Strong evidence was found for a relation between shift work and increased body weight/BMI, risk for overweight, and impaired glucose tolerance. For the remaining outcomes, there was insufficient evidence. Shift work seems to be associated with body weight gain, risk for overweight, and impaired glucose tolerance. Overall, lack of high-methodologic quality studies and inconsistency in findings led to insufficient evidence in assessing the relation between shift work and other metabolic risk factors. To strengthen the evidence, more high-quality longitudinal studies that provide more information on the shift work schedule (e.g., frequency of night shifts, duration in years) are needed. Further, research to the (mediating) role of lifestyle behaviors in the health effects of shift work is recommended, as this may offer potential for preventive strategies.

The impact of restructuring on employee well-being: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

ABSTRACTThis is a review of published longitudinal empirical research on the impact of restructuring on employee well-being. We investigated whether restructuring accompanied by staff reductions impacts differently on worker well-being than restructuring without staff reductions, and the differences between short- and long-term effects of restructuring. Furthermore, we investigated the mechanisms that explain these effects. We conducted a literature search on longitudinal, peer-reviewed, English-written studies from the period 2000–2012. Thirty-nine papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We found that restructuring events, with and without staff reductions, mainly have a negative impact on the well-being of employees. The majority of studies showed negative changes over time, in the short and the long term. Some groups of workers reacted less negatively: for example, workers with a high organizational status before a merger and workers who underwent a change in workgroup. Variables that intervened in the relationship between restructuring and well-being were physical demands, job control, communication, provision of information, training, procedural justice, job insecurity and change acceptance. Further high-quality longitudinal research is needed to get more insight into the impact of restructuring over time and into the part played by intervening variables.

Long-term predictors of crime desistance in juvenile delinquents: A systematic review of longitudinal studies

Abstract Criminal and anti-social behaviors are mainly perpetrated by adults with a history of juvenile delinquency. In order to prevent recidivism, it is urgent to understand the factors that contribute to young offenders leaving their criminal careers. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of predictors during childhood and adolescence related to crime desistance in males or females with a history of juvenile delinquency. Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and PsycArticles were searched by three independent reviewers from their start until December 2014. Longitudinal studies, with independent analysis for males and females with follow-up during the adulthood, were included. Studies with less than five years of follow-up were excluded. Fifteen articles were considered eligible for inclusion and 23 predictors were evaluated in more than one study in men and/or women. Inconsistencies between studies were detected in all 14 predictors, and 12 predictors were consistently not predictive. Strong differences between studies were found in the predictors of desistance from crime. The lack of consistency between studies could be related to the absence of controlling for social marginalization predictors in adulthood and the use of different methodologies. Future research should focus on consensus using gold standard measures and research designs.

Longitudinal predictors of domestic violence perpetration and victimization: A systematic review

Domestic violence (DV) is a serious and complex social issue which is associated with significant costs to both those individuals who are directly affected and the wider community. Preventative approaches with vulnerable population groups represent an important component of any integrated response to DV and should be informed by an understanding of those factors that influence violence developmentally. This paper reports the findings of a systematic review of longitudinal studies that have prospectively investigated childhood and/or adolescent predictors of DV perpetration and/or victimization among adult men and women in intimate relationships. We identified 25 original studies that met the inclusion criteria, all of which investigated predictors of domestic physical abuse. Few studies prospectively examined psychological, sexual and verbal abuse. Child and adolescent abuse, family of origin risks, child and adolescent behavioral problems, adolescent peer risks, and sociodemographic risks were all identified as significant predictors of DV perpetration and victimization. It is concluded that early childhood and adolescent factors are consistent predictors in the development of DV perpetration and victimization and that prevention and early intervention approaches targeting these factors are likely to prove the most effective.

Employment as a Social Determinant of Health: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies Exploring the Relationship Between Employment Status and Physical Health

Purpose:To explore employment as a social determinant of health through examining the relationship between employment status and physical health.Method:The authors explored the causal relationship between employment status and physical health through conducting a systematic review of 22 longitudinal studies conducted in Finland, France, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States.Results:Five common trajectories were identified as employment, unemployment, job loss, reemployment, and retired. Unemployment and job loss were associated with poorer physical health. Employment and reemployment were associated with better physical health.Conclusion:To enhance employment outcomes, it is important for service providers to acknowledge the interaction between the client’s physical health and employment status, and assess client physical functioning. Additional research is necessary to further elucidate this interaction.

Determinants of Physical Activity during Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

Physical activity plays an important role for long-term health, and the preschool period is a vital developmental stage to establish healthy habits and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of longitudinal studies examining the factors related to physical activity in young children. A literature search identifying physical activity studies in 2- to 6-year-old children was conducted in 2014. A total of 102 studies were initially identified, of which only nine met the inclusion criteria of prospective or longitudinal designs using objective measures of physical activity. Gender, aging, and seasonality (e.g. temperature, weather) were the three most common factors examined; followed by parental behaviors and weight status. Preschool- aged children are more physically active in better weather, and if parents, particularly fathers, spend more time playing with their children. Overall, few longitudinal studies have examined predictors of physical activity among young children. Of the limited evidence, it appears that the home environment may be a point for intervention, specifically encouraging parents to engage more with their young children in active pursuits. More longitudinal research is required to confirm and better understand salient factors related to physical activity during this critical early childhood period.

Dyspnea as an independent predictor of mortality.

Dyspnea is a common and easily elicited presenting complaint in patients seen by physicians who evaluate and take care of chronic respiratory disorders. Although dyspnea is subjective and tends to increase with age or reduced lung function, it appears to be reproducible as a symptom and often signifies serious underlying disease. Systematic review of longitudinal studies with dyspnea as the exposure and mortality as the outcome; age, smoking and lung function had to be controlled for to be included in the review. In addition, a minimum sample size at baseline of 500 subjects was required for each study. From over 3000 potential references, 10 longitudinal studies met all criteria and were included. All 10 studies suggested that dyspnea was an independent predictor of mortality with point estimates by odds ratio, rate ratio or hazard ratios ranging from 1.3 up to 2.9-fold greater than baseline. All 10 studies had actual or implied 95% confidence interval bands greater than the null value of one. Dyspnea, a symptom, predicts mortality and is a proxy for underlying diseases, most often of heart and lung. Therefore, chronic dyspnea needs to be evaluated as to etiology to allow for treatment to minimize morbidity and mortality when possible.

Psychosocial predictors of non-adherence to chronic medication: systematic review of longitudinal studies

ObjectivesSeveral cross-sectional studies suggest that psychosocial factors are associated with non-adherence to chronic preventive maintenance medication (CPMM); however, results from longitudinal associations have not yet been systematically summarized. Therefore, the objective of this study was to systematically synthesize evidence of longitudinal associations between psychosocial predictors and CPMM non-adherence.Materials and methodsPUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases were searched for studies meeting our inclusion criteria. The reference lists and the ISI Web of Knowledge of the included studies were checked. Studies were included if they had an English abstract, involved adult populations using CPMM living in Western countries, and if they investigated associations between psychosocial predictors and medication non-adherence using longitudinal designs. Data were extracted according to a literature-based extraction form. Study quality was independently judged by two researchers using a framework comprising six bias domains. Studies were considered to be of high quality if ≥four domains were free of bias. Psychosocial predictors for non-adherence were categorized into five pre-defined categories: beliefs/cognitions; coping styles; social influences and social support; personality traits; and psychosocial well-being. A qualitative best evidence synthesis was performed to synthesize evidence of longitudinal associations between psychosocial predictors and CPMM non-adherence.ResultsOf 4,732 initially-identified studies, 30 (low-quality) studies were included in the systematic review. The qualitative best evidence synthesis demonstrated limited evidence for absence of a longitudinal association between CPMM non-adherence and the psychosocial categories. The strength of evidence for the review’s findings is limited by the low quality of included studies.ConclusionThe results do not provide psychosocial targets for the development of new interventions in clinical practice. This review clearly demonstrates the need for high-quality, longitudinal research to identify psychosocial predictors of medication non-adherence.

Condom use in prevention of Human Papillomavirus infections and cervical neoplasia: systematic review of longitudinal studies

Based on cross-sectional studies, the data on protection from Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections related to using male condoms appear inconsistent. Longitudinal studies are more informative for this purpose. We undertook a systematic review of longitudinal studies on the effectiveness of male condoms in preventing HPV infection and cervical neoplasia. We searched PubMed using MeSH terms for articles published until May 2013. Articles were included if they studied a change in non-immunocompromized women's cervical HPV infection or cervical lesion status along with the frequency of condom use. In total, 384 abstracts were retrieved. Eight studies reported in 10 articles met the inclusion criteria for the final review. Four studies showed a statistically significantly protective effect of consistent condom use on HPV infection and on regression of cervical neoplasia. In the remaining four studies, a protective effect was also observed for these outcomes, although it was not statistically significant. Consistent condom use appears to offer a relatively good protection from HPV infections and associated cervical neoplasia. Advice to use condoms might be used as an additional instrument to prevent unnecessary colposcopies and neoplasia treatments in cervical screening, and to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

Is retirement good for your health? A systematic review of longitudinal studies

BackgroundSeveral studies regarding the effect of retirement on physical as well as mental health have been performed, but the results thereof remain inconclusive. The aim of this review is to systematically summarise the literature on the health effects of retirement, describing differences in terms of voluntary, involuntary and regulatory retirement and between blue-collar and white-collar workers.MethodsA search for longitudinal studies using keywords that referred to the exposure (retirement), outcome (health-related) and study design (longitudinal) was performed using several electronic databases. Articles were then selected for full text analysis and the reference lists of the selected studies were checked for relevant studies. The quality of the studies was rated based on predefined criteria. Data was analysed qualitatively by using a best evidence synthesis. When possible, pooled mean differences and effect sizes were calculated to estimate the effect of retirement on health.ResultsTwenty-two longitudinal studies were included, of which eleven were deemed to be of high quality. Strong evidence was found for retirement having a beneficial effect on mental health, and contradictory evidence was found for retirement having an effect on perceived general health and physical health. Few studies examined the differences between blue- and white-collar workers and between voluntary, involuntary and regulatory retirement with regards to the effect of retirement on health outcomes.ConclusionsMore longitudinal research on the health effects of retirement is needed, including research into potentially influencing factors such as work characteristics and the characteristics of retirement.

Long-term health benefits of physical activity--a systematic review of longitudinal studies.

BackgroundThe treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCD), like coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes mellitus, causes rising costs for the health system. Physical activity is supposed to reduce the risk for these diseases. Results of cross-sectional studies showed that physical activity is associated with better health, and that physical activity could prevent the development of these diseases. The purpose of this review is to summarize existing evidence for the long-term (>5 years) relationship between physical activity and weight gain, obesity, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.MethodsFifteen longitudinal studies with at least 5-year follow up times and a total of 288,724 subjects (>500 participants in each study), aged between 18 and 85 years, were identified using digital databases. Only studies published in English, about healthy adults at baseline, intentional physical activity and the listed NCDs were included.ResultsThe results of these studies show that physical activity appears to have a positive long-term influence on all selected diseases.ConclusionsThis review revealed a paucity of long-term studies on the relationship between physical activity and the incidence of NCD.

Parent-child relationship quality and adolescent alcohol use

Parents have a key role in the development of adolescent alcohol use, and this has important implications for prevention programmes and policies. In a previous edition of this journal, Ryan et al. (2010) conducted a systematic review of longitudinal studies that examined parenting factors related to adolescent alcohol use. The authors identified key parenting strategies associated with adolescent alcohol use (age of initiation and levels of alcohol use), including parental modelling, provision of alcohol, monitoring, and parent-child relationship quality. Their review provides a valuable analysis of parent dimensions that are univariately and longitudinally related to adolescent alcohol use. In this letter, we propose two areas for future research that build on their review.

Intimate Partner Violence and Incident Depressive Symptoms and Suicide Attempts: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

Depression and suicide are responsible for a substantial burden of disease globally. Evidence suggests that intimate partner violence (IPV) experience is associated with increased risk of depression, but also that people with mental disorders are at increased risk of violence. We aimed to investigate the extent to which IPV experience is associated with incident depression and suicide attempts, and vice versa, in both women and men. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies published before February 1, 2013. More than 22,000 records from 20 databases were searched for studies examining physical and/or sexual intimate partner or dating violence and symptoms of depression, diagnosed major depressive disorder, dysthymia, mild depression, or suicide attempts. Random effects meta-analyses were used to generate pooled odds ratios (ORs). Sixteen studies with 36,163 participants met our inclusion criteria. All studies included female participants; four studies also included male participants. Few controlled for key potential confounders other than demographics. All but one depression study measured only depressive symptoms. For women, there was clear evidence of an association between IPV and incident depressive symptoms, with 12 of 13 studies showing a positive direction of association and 11 reaching statistical significance; pooled OR from six studies = 1.97 (95% CI 1.56-2.48, I² = 50.4%, p(heterogeneity = 0.073). There was also evidence of an association in the reverse direction between depressive symptoms and incident IPV (pooled OR from four studies = 1.93, 95% CI 1.51-2.48, I² = 0%, p = 0.481). IPV was also associated with incident suicide attempts. For men, evidence suggested that IPV was associated with incident depressive symptoms, but there was no clear evidence of an association between IPV and suicide attempts or depression and incident IPV. In women, IPV was associated with incident depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms with incident IPV. IPV was associated with incident suicide attempts. In men, few studies were conducted, but evidence suggested IPV was associated with incident depressive symptoms. There was no clear evidence of association with suicide attempts.

The incremental effect of psychosocial workplace factors on the development of neck and shoulder disorders: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

To systematically analyse evidence on the incremental effect of work-related psychosocial risk factors on the development of neck and shoulder disorders, as reported in longitudinal studies. A systematic literature search was conducted in three data bases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsychINFO) until May 2009. The quality assessment leading to a methodological quality score of the included studies was conducted by two independent reviewers using a standardised checklist. Criteria for the evaluation of evidence were established. Heterogeneity analyses were conducted. Altogether 18 prospective longitudinal studies were included in the analysis. Potential psychosocial risk factors were mainly based on the job demand control (support) model by Karasek (1998). Study results were too heterogeneous to deduce pooled risk estimates. But the weight of evidence was strong for an incremental effect of job demands, job control, social support, and job strain, on the development of neck and/or shoulder disorders. While we found evidence for an incremental effect of different psychosocial work factors (in addition to the effect of physical job factors), these results have to be interpreted carefully in order to support the notion that psychological factors can have an independent causal influence on the development of musculoskeletal disorders. Nevertheless, our findings are important for the development of preventive strategies, as they stress the need for preventive approaches that tackle both physical and psychosocial factors. Future research is warranted to consolidate and strengthen the results of this review.

The parent-child relationship and adolescent alcohol use: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.

BackgroundAlcohol use among adolescents has become a major public health problem in the past decade and has large short- and long-term consequences on their health. The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of longitudinal cohort studies that have analyzed the association between the parent–child relationship (PCR) and change in alcohol use during adolescence.MethodsA search of the literature from 1985 to July 2011 was conducted in Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE in order to identify longitudinal, general population studies regarding the influence of the PCR on alcohol use during adolescence. The studies were screened, and the quality of the relevant studies was assessed. A best-evidence synthesis was used to summarize the results.ResultsTwenty-eight relevant studies were identified. Five studies found that a negative PCR was associated with higher levels of alcohol use. Another seven papers only found this association for certain subgroups such as boys or girls, or a specific age group. The remaining sixteen studies did not find any association.ConclusionsWe found weak evidence for a prospective association between the PCR and adolescent alcohol use. Further research to the association of the PCR with several types of alcohol use (e.g., initiation or abuse) and to the potential reversed causality of the PCR and alcohol use is required.

What is the evidence base to guide surgical treatment of infected hip prostheses? systematic review of longitudinal studies in unselected patients

BackgroundProsthetic joint infection is an uncommon but serious complication of hip replacement. There are two main surgical treatment options, with the choice largely based on the preference of the surgeon. Evidence is required regarding the comparative effectiveness of one-stage and two-stage revision to prevent reinfection after prosthetic joint infection.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review to identify randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and longitudinal studies in unselected patients with infection treated exclusively by one- or two-stage methods or by any method. The Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases were searched up to March 2011. Reference lists were checked, and citations of key articles were identified by using the ISI Web of Science portal. Classification of studies and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. The outcome measure studied was reinfection within 2 years. Data were combined to produce pooled random-effects estimates using the Freeman-Tukey arc-sine transformation.ResultsWe identified 62 relevant studies comprising 4,197 patients. Regardless of treatment, the overall rate of reinfection after any treatment was 10.1% (95% CI = 8.2 to 12.0). In 11 studies comprising 1,225 patients with infected hip prostheses who underwent exclusively one-stage revision, the rate of reinfection was 8.6% (95% CI = 4.5 to 13.9). After two-stage revision exclusively in 28 studies comprising 1,188 patients, the rate of reinfection was 10.2% (95% CI = 7.7 to 12.9).ConclusionEvidence of the relative effectiveness of one- and two-stage revision in preventing reinfection of hip prostheses is largely based on interpretation of longitudinal studies. There is no suggestion in the published studies that one- or two stage methods have different reinfection outcomes. Randomised trials are needed to establish optimum management strategies.