METHODOLOGIC ISSUES FOR POOLING DIETARY DATA

This paper presents the methodologic issues to consider when conductin g a pooled analysis of data from nutritional epidemiologic studies. Be cause a wide variety of dietary assessment methods have been used in n utritional epidemiology, pooled analyses often combine data collected under very different circumstances. Whether these different methods in fluence the results obtained in a pooled analysis has not yet been exa mined. One of the main concerns in a pooled analysis is whether the da ta to be pooled are comparable. Questions to consider regarding data c omparability and methods to address these questions in a pooled analys is are discussed.