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  • ENVINT_2018_196_Revision 1_V0-2

    Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Environment International. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Environment International, 121, 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.07.015

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Identifying the PECO: A framework for formulating good questions to explore the association of environmental and other exposures with health outcomes

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • Rebecca L. Morgan
  • Paul Whaley
  • Kristina A. Thayer
  • Holger J. Schunemann
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>12/2018
<mark>Journal</mark>Environment International
Issue number1
Volume121
Number of pages5
Pages (from-to)1027-1031
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date27/08/18
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

[First paragraph] A clearly-framed question creates the structure and delineates the approach to defining research objectives, conducting systematic reviews and developing health guidance (Guyatt et al., 2011; Armstrong et al., 2007). To assess the association between exposures and outcomes, including in the field of nutrition, environmental and occupational health, the concept of defining the Population (including animal species), Exposure, Comparator, and Outcomes (PECO) as pillars of the question is increasingly accepted (Morgan et al., 2016; Morgan et al., n.d.). Thus, the PECO defines the objectives of the review or guideline. Furthermore, the PECO informs the study design or inclusion and exclusion criteria for a review, as well as facilitating the interpretation of the directness of the findings based on how well the actual research findings represent the original question.

Bibliographic note

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Environment International. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Environment International, 121, 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.07.015