Search results

This paper aims to devise a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria for causal inference of contractual disputes in construction projects. It is a genuine attempt in a systematic method from research design to execution for causal issues where only observational data is available.

The authors located insufficient top management support as the putative pathogen of construction disputes based on a literature review, an interview and Delphi surveys. A questionnaire survey was then conducted to collect case-controlled data to ensure comparability, in which for each disputed project put in the experimental group, the authors sought for a dispute-free project of similar characteristics. The incidence rates of insufficient top management support in the experimental and control groups were then examined by Bradford Hill criteria as an alternative to the test of intervention effect.

The association of insufficient top management support and construction disputes was tested to conform with the Bradford Hill criteria with case-controlled data where applicable and logical deduction where statistical tests were not applicable. With a clear, positive, reasonable and statistically significant association, while excluding methodological biases, confounding and chance, the authors reached a causal verdict of insufficient top management support causing contractual disputes.

This paper supports the validity of applying a case-controlled method combined with Bradford Hill criteria in investigating causal issues in project management, especially the verdict of causal inference based on empirical data. In addition, the located root cause of contractual disputes could inform project management personnel with reasoned strategies for dispute avoidance.

This study aims to investigate which messaging strategies employed in personalised newsletters could be used for improving the propensity of individuals to save or invest and secure their financial well-being.

The authors conducted a field experiment with 4,782 clients at an Estonian retail bank. For three months (after measuring baseline levels for a month), the participants received personalised monthly newsletters with either a praising or a scolding message based on comparing their recent investment decisions to their past decisions.

Their results suggest that newsletters could serve as an encouragement for those who already invest significant amounts each month and a reminder for those who have stopped regular investing for a month. The newsletters robustly increased investments in securities accounts for these groups.

The authors contribute to the marketing literature by examining praise and scolding messaging strategies within the same channel and company, focussing on the individual's past behaviour. They raise several hypotheses to be tested in future randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

The authors’ results show the importance of investor behaviour analysis as the effectiveness of the newsletter intervention largely depended on the type of customer it was served to. This highlights the importance of personalisation.

The results show that a given message tends to influence only specific groups of investors. Identifying these groups is valuable information for messaging strategies.

This study was conducted to find out the association between estrogen exposure and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Bangladeshi women.

A case-control study was carried out from January to December 2015 among 128 intervention cases and 128 age-matched control group participants to find out the association with estrogen exposure and development of SLE.

Case group participants were five times (OR 5.14, 95% CI 2.14–12.33), three times (OR 3.40, 95% CI 1.25–9.21) and four times (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.45–11.00) more likely to receive different higher levels of education compared to the control group. Exposure to estrogen showed a positive association with the development of SLE. The case group (12.63 ± 1.61 years) had a lower age at menarche than that of the control group (13.31 ± 1.47 years; p < 0.001) and their proportion (62.6%) of using oral contraceptive pills were more than that of the control group (45.6%; p < 0.01). After controlling the effect of the positively associated variables, SLE patients were found two times (adjusted OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.29–3.95) more likely to use oral contraceptive pills than the control group. The case group was more (adjusted OR 0.771; 95% CI 0.642–0.927) prone to have an earlier age at menarche compared to the control group.

This study identified the association between estrogen exposure and SLE. Contraceptive pills should be used cautiously and both consumers and service providers need to be aware of their effects.

The purpose of this paper is to explore structural drivers and barriers that distinguish US business school Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatories from nonsignatory peer institutions, and identify structural drivers of PRME institution strategic integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their ongoing responsible management education reports.

This study uses a case–control method to compare the US PRME signatory sample to a size-matched random sample of US business management programs/schools. This study uses conditional inference tree and correlation analyses to highlight distinctive structural characteristics associated with US PRME signatories and with their strategies to highlight sustainability through the SDGs.

There are significant and practically meaningful structural differences between US-based PRME signatories and US programs/schools that have not adopted the PRME principles. Further, PRME schools differentially integrate SDGs in their information sharing based on structural characteristics.

Understanding school/program characteristics that align with PRME and different sustainability strategies affords a better comprehension of where targeted resources might be most effective in broadening the appeal and adoption of PRME and subsequent sustainability strategy integration.

While previous work on PRME signatories has depended heavily on case studies of successful implementation and has examined the content of PRME activity by school, the present work compares the population of actual US signatories with a random sample of nonsignatories to determine leverage points for enacting broader PRME adoption. The study also examines the strategies that PRME schools use to integrate the UN SDGs and the structures that support such.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between weight status and food environments, peer influence and dietary intake among high-school students in Shiraz, Iran.

Applying a case-control design, 406 adolescents (n = 203 overweight or obese and n = 203 normal weight) aged 14–18 years were selected using a multistage cluster random sampling method. Demographic information, physical activity level and anthropometric indices were collected. Dietary intake was determined using a 147-item food frequency questionnaire. Food environment (home and out of home) and peer influence were determined by a validated questionnaire.

The type of food purchased using pocket money was different between adolescents with overweight or obesity and normal weight adolescents (p < 0.001). The out-of-home food environment score was not different between groups, but the home food environment score (p = 0.004) and the peer influence score (p = 0.001) were higher in normal weight adolescents. Adolescents with overweight or obesity consumed higher amounts of carbohydrate (p = 0.006) and lower amounts of protein (p = 0.01) and more sweet junk foods (p = 0.01), nonstarchy vegetables (p = 0.03) and fruits (p = 0.01) compared to the normal weight group.

Home food environment, peer influence, differences in macronutrient intake and dietary patterns may be contributing factors to adolescent weight status.

Obesity is a multi-factorial problem that develops from an interaction between diet, genetics, physical activity, medication, and other factors. This paper aims to examine the association between dietary diversity score (DDS) and obesity among adults of Ardebil.

This case-control study was conducted on 204 cases (obese and overweight participants) and 204 controls (healthy weight individuals) matched by socioeconomic status (SES), age (older than 30 years) and sex. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24 h food recall questionnaire. Data on physical activity and socio-demographic variables were gathered. DDS was computed based on the scoring of the 14 food groups recommended by the Food and Agriculture organization guideline.

The DDS of the obese group was higher (5.02 ± 1.02) than that of the healthy weight group (4.23 ± 1.18) (p < 0.001). There was a significant association between DDS and body mass index (BMI) in both groups of study, but this association was more significant in the obese group (β = 0.501, p = 0.021) than that of healthy weight group (β = 0.413, p= 0.042). Vegetable food group score in both groups of the study was associated with obesity inversely (p < 0.05).

This study was conducted for the first time in Ardabil city and the results showed for the first time that there is a relationship between dietary diversity and obesity. People with a higher dietary diversity score are more likely to be obese. In fact, this study for the first time proved that people who are obese have a more varied diet but less vegetables and fruits.

Recently, evidences have suggested that healthy eating index (HEI), an index-based dietary pattern, may be a predictor for the risk of cancer. This paper aims to examine the association of HEI-2015 and its all components scores with the risk of breast cancer (BC), separately, among Iranian women.

In the present hospital-based, case-control study, 150 age-matched of cases (newly diagnosed female) and 150 controls were recruited. Data of dietary habits and anthropometric measures were obtained, and eventually, the HEI-2015 score was calculated. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the relationship between the risk of BC across tertiles (Ts) of total HEI-2015 and its all component scores.

The results presented that in adjusted model, there was no significant difference between total HEI-2015 (p = 0.14) and its all component scores (p > 0.09) of healthy subjects and females with BC. Moreover, multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated that HEI-2015 score was not associated with the risk of BC in either crude (p-trend = 0.94) or adjusted (p-trend = 0.73) analyses. In the analyses of HEI-2015 components scores, it was observed that the scores of grains (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.30–0.94) and total protein foods (OR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02–0.58) may have a relation with BC risk in crude model but after adjusting for BC risk factors, the mentioned associations changed to non-significant.

The findings of current study suggested that there was no significant association of total HEI-2015 and its components scores, independently, with BC incidence among Iranian women.

Studies investigating the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and body mass index (BMI) have led to inconsistent findings. Therefore, to decisively conclude, this paper aims to clarify the relationship between DII and obesity by performing meta-analysis.

PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched up to July 2017 using key words selected from Medical Subject Headings and other related keywords to identify all relevant articles. In total, 22 articles were entered into the meta-analysis; 22 studies compared the mean of BMI among subjects with highest versus the lowest DII and 4 studies had data on the hazard risk (HR) or odds ratio (OR) for obesity.

A meta-analysis on included studies indicated a significant association on either mean differences (MD) in BMI (MD = 0.811; 95 per cent CI: 0.365-1.256; p: 0.0001) or obesity OR (OR: 1.310; 95 per cent CI: 1.144-1.500; p = 0.000) by comparing the highest and lowest DII categories. Between-study heterogeneity was high (Cochrane Q test, p < 0.001, I² = 98.1 per cent, df = 21, τ² = 0.9273), and only dietary assessment methods could explain the source of heterogeneity in which 24-h dietary recalls were homogeny (I² = 8.4 per cent, df = 2, p = 0.335).

The results of the present meta-analysis suggest that adherence to high DII score increased BMI and obesity. More prospective studies in different populations are needed to better clarify this relation.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possible relationship of dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with ulcerative colitis (UC) risks because there is insufficient evidence on the association of GI and GL with UC incidences.

In this case–control study, dietary GI and GL of 62 patients with histology-confirmed UC and 124 controls were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The primary outcome measure was the association between dietary GI and GL and UC risk.

In age-adjusted and unadjusted models, there was no statistically significant association between dietary GI and GL and UC risk. However, after adjusting for all known covariates, the odds ratio of UC in third tertile of GI was 2.86 folds higher than first tertile (95% CI: 1.02–8.00, p for trend = 0.04). In the case of GL, when the confounders were adjusted, although subjects in the third tertile were at 2.70 times higher risk of having UC than those in the first tertile (95% CI: 0.72–10.15, p for trend = 0.15), the association was not statistically significant.

In conclusion, the findings indicate a positive relationship between dietary GI and risk of UC. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate if the findings are consistent, in addition to experimental studies to explore the potential mechanisms of this association.