Cross-cultural associations:

Cross-cultural correlations after 25 and 50 years follow-up

In the 1960s the emphasis in research on diet and CHD was on fatty acids. In the baseline survey of the SCS fatty acids were chemically analyzed in duplicates of foods eaten at home among samples of the 16 cohorts. Later on, the interest extended with associations on carbohydrates, flavonoids, and dietary patterns.

In 1986 the food records of the dietary surveys from the 1960s were coded in a standardized way and the average consumption of 16 food groups was calculated for each cohort. In 1987 equivalent food composites representing the average food intake of each cohort at baseline were collected from local markets and transported to a central laboratory for the determination of nutrients and bioactive compounds.

These data were used for statistical analysis of the associations among the intake of foods, nutrients and bioactive compounds at baseline and CHD mortality after 25 and 50 years of follow-up.

25-year follow-up study findings

50-year follow-up study findings

Are these cross-cultural associations causal?

Ecological or cross-cultural associations are frequently viewed as the lowest level of evidence about causality. However, to demean ecological associations is to fail to recognize the powerful indication they provide about the population burden of disease. They can be useful for prevention when correlations among populations are congruent with sound clinical evidence, with significant correlations at the level of individuals within populations, and with known mechanisms.

Origin & development

History

Study design

Measurements

Countries

Investigators

Related studies

Sponsors

Coordination

The 7 Countries

Country Trends

Cross-cultural findings