Population attributable fraction in textbooks: Time to revise

Population attributable fraction in textbooks: Time to revise

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Introduction: The population attributable fraction is an important measure for assessing the impact of intervention on the disease risk in populations, but it is frequently bar drain board misused in the research literature.Methods: In this study, we review the definition, calculation, interpretation and assumptions of PAF in 43 textbooks and highlight important shortcomings.Results: While the Levin formula was proposed as a method of calculation in 29 (67%) textbooks, only in 4 (9%) was the Miettinen formula or its generalization for multilevel exposure recommended to calculate a confounding-adjusted population attributable fraction.Other concepts such as generalized impact fraction and prevented and preventable fractions were briefly discussed in few textbooks.

Discussion: We recommend the authors revise the textbooks in joe moreira jiu jitsu light of our proposed framework for teaching the population attributable fraction.