Guidance to best tools and practices for systematic reviews

Prevalence and factors associated with the perpetration and victimization of teen dating violence: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Dating violence is a global health problem that affects adolescents physically, psychologically and sexually. During adolescence, there is a high prevalence and negative consequences in both perpetration and victimization, which can vary according to culture, but maintain common characteristics in traditional societies. Factors associated with the perpetration and victimization of gender-based violence among adolescents include gender inequality, discrimination, substance use, parental neglect, peer influence and exposure to family violence. Despite modern criticisms of gender expectations, traditional views that legitimize violence persist. In this sense, the collection of global data on the prevalence and factors associated with dating violence among adolescents could favour comparative studies between Western and Eastern cultures and is fundamental for informing public policies in a globalized world. It is hoped that the results will contribute to expanding scientific knowledge in the area, as well as helping managers and the academic community to target resources, identify risk groups and promote gender equality from adolescence onwards. In this sense, this study aims to globally assess the prevalence and factors associated with the perpetration and victimization of dating violence among adolescents. It is hoped that the results will expand scientific knowledge in this area.

Food consumption and mental health in children and adolescents: A systematic review protocol

Mental illnesses are prevalent among children and adolescents worldwide and may be associated with food consumption. This protocol aims to evaluate the association between food consumption and mental health in children and adolescents through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The electronic search will include keywords related to childhood, adolescence, mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, stress, depression), and food consumption (e.g., in natura or minimally processed foods and ultra-processed foods ultra-processed foods), verified using MeSH terms. The systematic review will follow the PRISMA-2020 guidelines, employing the PECOS strategy, and will include quantitative observational and mixed-methods studies. A search will be conducted in the following databases: Scopus, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, LILACS, Web of Science, APA-PsycArticles, PubMed/Medline, and EMBASE. Identifying the association between mental health and food consumption will contribute to the development of preventive and intervention strategies aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The analysis of the data will provide results on how psychological factors are linked to the consumption of various food groups, implying the updating of public policies. These guidelines can assist managers and researchers in creating effective interventions to promote mental health and healthy eating behaviors, ultimately leading to long-term positive impacts on public health.

Risk of bias in exercise science: A systematic review of 340 studies

Risk of bias can contribute to irreproducible science and mislead decision making. Analyses of smaller subsections of the exercise science literature suggest many exercise science studies have unclear or high risk of bias. The current review (osf.io/jznv8) assesses whether this unclear or high risk of bias is more widespread in the exercise science literature and whether this bias has decreased since the publication of the 1996 Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines. We report significant reductions in selection, performance, detection, and reporting biases in 2020 compared with 1995 in the 340 of 5,451 studies assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Despite these improvements, most 2020 studies still had unclear or high risks of bias. These results underscore the need for methodological vigilance, adherence to reporting standards, and education on experimental bias. Factors contributing to these improvements, such advancements in education and journal requirements, remain uncertain.