Media and Research: Epidemiological Study Comparison
Mass Media Article: News-Medical. (2023, March 21). “Mediterranean Magic: Diet Shields Women from Heart Disease and Early Death.” https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230321/Mediterranean-magic-Diet-shields-women-from-heart-disease-and-early-death.aspx.
Peer-Reviewed Article: Pant, A., Gribbin, S., McIntyre, D., Trivedi, R., Marschner, S., Laranjo, L., Mamas, M. A., Flood, V., Chow, C. K., & Zaman, S. (2023). “Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women with a Mediterranean diet: Systematic review and meta-analysis.” Heart, 109(16), 1208–1215. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2022-321930.
Summary of the Study
The peer-reviewed article “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women with a Mediterranean Diet is a systematic review and meta-analysis that sought to establish the role of the Mediterranean diet in the cardio-metabolic sector in women. Data from several trials, including those including thousands of women, were used to compare whether improved adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with decreased risk of heart disease and early death. The outcomes demonstrated that women compliant with the Mediterranean dietary pattern had a reduced risk of CCVD and early mortality compared with those non-compliant with the pattern. (Pant et al., 2023).
The mass media article “Mediterranean Magic: Diet Shields Women from Heart Disease and Early Death,” published by News-Medical in 2023, reported that the Mediterranean diet significantly reduces the risk of heart disease in women. The article focused on the diet’s protective effects but did not discuss detailed statistical analysis or study limitations (News-Medical, 2023).
Comparison of Epidemiological Concepts
Study Design
The mass media article does not specify that the research was a systematic review and meta-analysis. At the same time, the peer-reviewed study describes combining results from multiple studies to provide a comprehensive analysis.
Measures of Association
While the media article only mentions a ‘reduced risk,’ the peer-reviewed study contains numeric values such as relative risk and confidence intervals.
Confounders and Bias
The aspects of confounding factors or biases are completely excluded in the given mass media article. The limitations stated and recognized in the reviewed peer article include the differences in the quality of the studies done and the necessity to exclude confounding factors that may affect cardiovascular results.
Assessment of the Media Representation
The News-Medical article provides a general overview of the study’s findings, emphasizing the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in reducing heart disease risk. However, it does not address important details about the study design, statistical findings, or limitations (Diab et al., 2023). In particular, the absence of measures of association and the neglect of potential confounding factors might give the reader the impression that only the diet is competent for the observed health benefits without considering other aspects of the lifestyle (Ma et al., 2019).
Response to a Patient
If a patient refers to this article, I would clarify that while the study suggests that women adhering to a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of developing heart disease, it is essential to recognize that adherence to the diet does not imply direct causation of reduced heart disease risk. The findings of the studies have been identified through many studies, and this enhances the basis of evidence, although the data also points to other factors, such as overall lifestyle. I would recommend the consumption of the Mediterranean diet as a reasonable way of maintaining the health of a heart (Pant et al., 2024), but I also recommend some other beneficial practices, such as exercising regularly and abstaining from smoking
References
Bose, P. (2023, March 22). News-Medical. News-Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230321/Mediterranean-magic-Diet-shields-women-from-heart-disease-and-early-death.aspx
Diab, A., Dastmalchi, L. N., Gulati, M., & Michos, E. D. (2023). A Heart-Healthy Diet for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Where Are We Now? Vascular Health and Risk Management, 19(19), 237–253. https://doi.org/10.2147/VHRM.S379874
Ma, M.-G., A, G., & M, R.-C. (2019, March 1). The Mediterranean Diet and Cardiovascular Health. Circulation Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30817261/
Pant, A., Chew, D. P., Mamas, M. A., & Zaman, S. (2024). Cardiovascular Disease and the Mediterranean Diet: Insights into Sex-Specific Responses. Nutrients, 16(4), 570. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040570
Pant, A., Gribbin, S., McIntyre, D., Trivedi, R., Marschner, S., Laranjo, L., Mamas, M. A., Flood, V., Chow, C. K., & Zaman, S. (2023). Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women with a Mediterranean diet: systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart, 109(16). https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2022-321930
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Question 
Nearly every day, population health studies appear in the media. The studies often include epidemiological research. The type of study design used can have a profound impact on how the study results are analyzed, interpreted, and reported. Common study designs include case control, cohort, cross-sectional, and community intervention trials
Based on media descriptions of the research, however, facts about the issue under study may appear less than obvious. Media reports may sensationalize results and overstate outcomes. Someone familiar with epidemiological methodology may note a lack of detail in mass media reports of research findings compared to articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
For this Discussion, you will compare an epidemiological study to a mass media article written about the study to examine ways epidemiologic information is disseminated to and utilized by different audiences.
Media and Research: Epidemiological Study Comparison
To prepare:
- Locate a mass media article published within the last year that describes findings of an epidemiological study. Be sure that the article is about an epidemiological study and not another area of population health.
- Then, use the Walden Library to locate the peer-reviewed research article on which the mass media report is based.
By Day 3 of Week 7
Post a response to the following:
- Briefly summarize the study you found, and then include the citations for both the mass media and the peer-reviewed articles.
- Explain what epidemiological concepts are included in the mass media article (e.g., measures of association, study design, confounders, and bias) and how they compare to those in the peer-reviewed article.
- Give your assessment of how well the mass media article represented the actual research that was conducted. Describe any obvious omissions from the mass media article that epidemiologists critiquing the study would need to know.
- Finally, imagine that a patient brings this mass media article to you and asks you for your informed opinion. Explain how you would respond or interpret the article for the patient.