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Oono F, Adachi R, Yaegashi A, Kishino M, Ogata R, Kinugawa A, Tsumura A, Suga M, Matsumoto M, Takaoka T, Kakutani Y, Murakami K, Sasaki S. Are popular books about diet and health written based on scientific evidence? A comparison of citations between the USA and Japan. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:2815-2825. [PMID: 37955110 PMCID: PMC10755443 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980023002549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe and compare the references cited in popular books about diet and health between the USA and Japan. DESIGN Books were selected based on their best-seller rankings in the diet and health category of online bookstores. We identified references throughout all pages of the books and examined the number of references, reference format (identifiable or not) and presence of specific types of references, such as systematic reviews of human research. We compared the characteristics of references between the two countries and examined related factors to citation. SETTING Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS Books (n 100 in each country). RESULTS Among 100 books from each country, sixty-five US and sixty-six Japanese books had references. Forty-five US books cited more than 100 references, against only five Japanese books. The number of books that cited systematic reviews of human research differed between the USA (n 49) and Japan (n 9). Additionally, the number of books that provided identifiable information for all references was significantly higher in the USA (n 63) than in Japan (n 42). Books whose first authors have licences of medical doctors were more likely to cite references than those without in both countries. CONCLUSIONS Two-thirds of books about diet and health cited references in both the USA and Japan, but Japanese books cited fewer references and were less likely to cite systematic reviews and provide identifiable references than US books. Further research into the scientific reliability of information in books about diet and health is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumi Oono
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences and Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Riho Adachi
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akinori Yaegashi
- Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Science, Hokkaido Bunkyo University, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Madoka Kishino
- Department of Food and Nutritional Science, Graduate School of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Risa Ogata
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Anna Kinugawa
- Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Ayari Tsumura
- Department of Clinical Nutrition and Food Management, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Mizuki Suga
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Moe Matsumoto
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoya Takaoka
- Division of Clinical Nutrition, Shinshu University Hospital, Nagano, Japan
- Medical Science Division, Department of Medical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Yuya Kakutani
- Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Osaka Shoin Women’s University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kentaro Murakami
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Sasaki
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, Division of Health Sciences and Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Social and Preventive Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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