Cross sectional studies published in Indian journal of community medicine: evaluation of adherence to the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology statement

Abstract

Background: The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement is a set of recommendations about what should be included in a more accurate and complete description of observational studies.
Aim: The aim was to assess the quality of reporting of cross‑sectional studies by evaluating the extent to which they adhere to the STROBE statement.
Materials and Methods: This study has a cross‑sectional design. All the articles published as original articles in Indian Journal of Community Medicine from January 2010 to September 2011 were downloaded from the journal website. A total of 96 articles were downloaded out of which 80 were found to have a cross‑sectional design. Variables were: (1) Percentage of STROBE items included in a report and (2) percentage of articles reporting each item in the STROBE checklist. Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics using frequencies and percentages.
Results: A total of 80 articles were evaluated. About 46% (37/80) articles reported 12–15 items of the STROBE checklist. Bias, nonparticipants and reasons for nonparticipation, other analyses done, generalizability, and source of funding were reported by < 25% of studies. The most frequently reported items of the checklist were summary of what was done and what was found in the abstract, background/rationale, objectives, setting, outcome data, key results in discussion, interpretation of results. None of the articles reported all items of the STROBE checklist.
Conclusion: This study reveals that the quality of reporting cross‑sectional studies in Indian Journal of Community Medicine is not satisfactory and there is room for improvement.

Keywords: Cross sectional studies, Reporting, Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement