A synthesis of pathways linking diet, metabolic risk and cardiovascular disease: a framework to guide further research and approaches to evidence-based practice.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common non-communicable disease occurring globally. Although previous literature has provided useful insights into the important role that diet plays in CVD prevention and treatment, understanding the causal role of diets is a difficult task considering inherent and introduced weaknesses of observational (e.g. not properly addressing confounders and mediators) and experimental research designs (e.g. not appropriate or well designed). In this narrative review, we organised current evidence linking diet, as well as conventional and emerging physiological risk factors, with CVD risk, incidence and mortality in a series of diagrams. The diagrams presented can aid causal inference studies as they provide a visual representation of the types of studies underlying the associations between potential risk markers/factors for CVD. This may facilitate the selection of variables to be considered and the creation of analytical models. Evidence depicted in the diagrams was systematically collected from studies included in the British Nutrition Task Force report on diet and CVD and database searches, including Medline and Embase. Although several markers and disorders linked to conventional and emerging risk factors for CVD were identified, the causal link between many remains unknown. There is a need to address the multifactorial nature of CVD and the complex interplay between conventional and emerging risk factors with natural and built environments, while bringing the life course into the spotlight.

Implementation of Healthy Eating Interventions in Center-Based Childcare: The Selection, Application, and Reporting of Theories, Models, and Frameworks.

PURPOSE: To explore the selection, use, and reporting of theories, models, and frameworks (TMFs) in implementation studies that promoted healthy eating in center-based childcare. DATA SOURCE: We searched 11 databases for articles published between January 1990 and October 2018. We also conducted a hand search of studies and consulted subject matter experts. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: We included studies in center-based settings for preschoolers that addressed the development, delivery, or evaluation of interventions or implementation strategies related to healthy eating and related subjects and that explicitly used TMF. Exclusion criteria include not peer reviewed or abstracts and not in English, French, German, and Korean. DATA EXTRACTION: The first author extracted the data using extraction forms. A second reviewer verified data extraction. DATA SYNTHESIS: Direct content analysis and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: We identified 8222 references. We retained 38 studies. Study designs included quasi-experimental, randomized controlled trials, surveys, case studies, and others. The criteria used most often for selecting TMFs were description of a change process (n = 12; 23%) or process guidance (n = 8; 15%). Theories, models, and frameworks used targeted different socioecological levels and purposes. The application of TMF constructs (e.g., factors, steps, outcomes) was reported 69% (n = 34) of times. CONCLUSION: Reliance on TMFs focused on individual-level, poor TMF selection, and application and reporting for the development of implementation strategies could limit TMF utility.