Chapter 3: Evidence-Based Nutrition and Practice

Question 1

Which of the following represents a strength of observational studies?

Answer 1

Large subject numbers

Question 2

Scientists gather 20 studies looking at the relationship between protein intake and lean body mass, and then they statistically analyze them together as a group. What type of study is this?

Answer 2

Meta-analysis

Question 3

“I tried this diet and lost 30 lbs.” What type of evidence is this?

Answer 3

Anecdote

Question 4

Scientists perform a study tracking 10,000 people over a 10-year period. They look at their sugar intake at the beginning of the study and then see who develops diabetes over the study duration. Which term best describes this study?

Answer 4

Cohort study

Question 5

Which term refers to a hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body of high quality evidence has been accumulated?

Answer 5

Theory

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of descriptive research?

Answer 6

Survey

Question 7

Which term encompasses the weight of the scientific evidence, field observations, and individual client needs?

Answer 7

Evidence-based practice

Question 8

Which of the following represents the lowest level of evidence?

Answer 8

Non-peer reviewed media

Question 9

A scientist proposes that sugar is inherently fattening, independent of its calorie content. If that proposal is true, then that would mean that high-sugar diets should increase fat gain independent of their calorie content. What term describes this potential consequence?

Answer 9

Prediction

Question 10

Which observational study design allows scientists to hypothesize a potential causal association?

Answer 10

Cohort study

Question 11

A scientist hypothesizes that a supplement will increase resistance training performance. A study is carried out, and the results do not support the hypothesis. Multiple studies by independent labs also fail to support the hypothesis. What is the appropriate response regarding the hypothesis?

Answer 11

The predictions have been falsified and the hypothesis is discarded.

Question 12

A scientist proposes that sugar is inherently fattening, and performs a study comparing a high-sugar diet to a low-sugar diet with equal calories. He finds that fat gain was the same between the diets. Which term describes how this study effects the initial proposal?

Answer 12

Falsification

Question 13

Which statement best describes science?

Answer 13

It is the use of evidence to construct explanations and predictions of natural phenomena.

Question 14

Scientists perform a study looking at the effects of caffeine on vertical jump performance. On one day, they give all the subjects caffeine followed by vertical jump tests. Two weeks later, they give all the subjects a placebo followed by the same vertical jump tests. Which term best describes this study design?

Answer 14

Crossover

Question 15

Fructose has been shown in studies to have adverse effects on blood triglycerides when consumed in excess of calorie needs. However, moderate doses of fructose have been shown to have no effect. Which of the following items best describes the conclusion that should be drawn from this data?

Answer 15

Fructose intake poses no risk to triglycerides when consumed within energy needs, but caution is warranted if calorie intake is high.

Question 16

Scientists randomly assign subjects to a low or high carbohydrate group and then look at changes in body weight over 3 months. Which item represents the independent variable in this study?

Answer 16

Diet type

Question 17

Which term best describes formulation of a hypothesis, collecting data to test the hypothesis, and changing or discarding the hypothesis when the data does not support it?

Answer 17

Scientific method

Question 18

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) involves collecting health-related information via telephone interview across the United States. Which term best describes this research?

Answer 18

Survey

Question 19

A scientist observes that people tend to perform better in a weight training session after consuming a pre-workout supplement. The scientist proposes that the caffeine in the supplement is increasing arousal, leading to increased performance. Which term best describes this scientist’s proposal?

Answer 19

Hypothesis

Question 20

Scientists find that a protein supplement increases lean mass in the elderly. However, they caution that the results may not apply to other populations, like younger people. What term best describes what the scientists are referring to?

Answer 20

External validity

Question 21

Scientists perform a diet study in which they assign half the people to a continuous dieting group and the other half to an intermittent fasting group. Which term best describes this study design?

Answer 21

Parallel

Question 22

Which term describes the phenomena when a group does not represent the population a scientist is intending to study?

Answer 22

Selection bias

Question 23

Which term describes a variable in an experiment for which a scientist takes no steps to account for?

Answer 23

Uncontrolled variable

Question 24

Scientists take 5000 people and have them fill out questionnaires on their dairy intake. They then compare cancer rates between people with high intakes and low intakes. What type of study is this?

Answer 24

Observational

Question 25

Which item represents a high quality, non-peer reviewed source of information?

Answer 25

Academic textbook

Question 26

Studies show that Diet A causes more weight loss than Diet B. A client is able to better adhere to Diet B than Diet A. Which item represents the best option for this client?

Answer 26

Diet B

Question 27

Which term refers to the ability to get similar results when something is measured under the same conditions?

Answer 27

Test-retest reliability

Question 28

Scientists perform a study comparing 1000 women with breast cancer to 1000 women without breast cancer. They gather information on the women’s diets and look to see if the women diagnosed with breast cancer had more fat in their diet compared to the women who did not get cancer. Which term best describes this study?

Answer 28

Case-control study

Question 29

Which term describes how a body of knowledge is based on observation and experience?

Answer 29

Empirical

Question 30

Seven studies show Diet A lowers cholesterol more than Diet B. Three studies show no difference. Assuming all the studies are equivalent in quality, which item best describes this situation?

Answer 30

The weight of the evidence suggests Diet A is more effective for lowering cholesterol than Diet B, but more data is needed.