Analysis of common methodological flaws in the highest cited e-cigarette epidemiology research.

The review conducted focused on 24 popular journal articles related to causal claims about vaping. A critical appraisal of these studies identified common study design and methodology flaws, including a lack of clear hypothesis statements, vague conclusory statements, and insufficient acknowledgment of the limited generalizability of findings. Many studies failed to distinguish between causal and associative relationships, and unreliable causal claims were made due to a lack of specificity in reporting results related to health outcomes and exposures. Furthermore, the review highlights issues with sampling, as most studies did not explicitly discuss results and conclusions in the context of the participant population. The review suggests that future research in the field of vaping and smoking cessation should address these flaws to produce more reliable findings and conclusions.

Hajat C, Stein E, Selya A, Polosa R, CoEHAR study group. Analysis of common methodological flaws in the highest cited e-cigarette epidemiology research. Internal and emergency medicine. 2022;17(3):887-909. doi:10.1007/s11739-022-02967-1