The Harvest Plot: A New Method for Synthesizing Evidence
Author Information
Author(s): Ogilvie David, Fayter Debra, Petticrew Mark, Sowden Amanda, Thomas Sian, Whitehead Margaret, Worthy Gill
Primary Institution: Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, UK
Hypothesis
How do population-level tobacco control interventions affect social inequalities in smoking?
Conclusion
The harvest plot is a novel and useful method for synthesizing evidence about the differential effects of population-level interventions.
Supporting Evidence
- The harvest plot visually represents the distribution of evidence across multiple dimensions of inequality.
- The method allows for the inclusion of diverse study designs and outcome measures.
- Feedback suggests that the harvest plot aids in understanding complex findings.
Takeaway
The harvest plot helps us understand how different smoking interventions work for different groups of people, like those with lower incomes or different education levels.
Methodology
The study coded 85 included studies on methodological dimensions and extracted data on effects stratified by various dimensions of inequality.
Potential Biases
There is a risk that more may be read into the matrices than is justified by the data.
Limitations
The method may conceal important inferences if too many diverse data types are included in the same matrix.
Participant Demographics
The studies included various demographic and socio-economic characteristics such as income, occupation, education, gender, race or ethnicity, and age.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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