ReviewAnnals of epidemiology2015
Estimating population attributable fractions to quantify the health burden of obesity.
Review in Annals of epidemiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
77 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Quantifying the increased risk of illness in malnourished children: a global meta-analysis and propensity score matching approach.Global health research and policy · 2024Pooled it
- Healthy Eating Index Diet Quality in Randomized Weight Loss Trials: A Systematic Review.Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · 2023Pooled it
- How much of the stalled mortality trends in Scotland and England can be attributed to obesity?BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Relation of Different Fruit and Vegetable Sources With Incident Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Design and participant characteristics for a randomized effectiveness trial of an intensive lifestyle intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes: The I-D-HEALTH study.Contemporary clinical trials · 2016Trial
- Conditions Attributable to Obesity in Older Adults in the U.S.: A Cross-Sectional Study.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- The Economic Cost of Obesity: A Cost-of-Illness Study in Greece.Applied health economics and health policy · 2026Article
- Article
- Obesity-attributable risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States: a Bayesian network analysis.American journal of preventive cardiology · 2025Article
- Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Segregation and Obesity: A Systematic Review.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Review
- Evaluating population attributable fractions of cardiovascular diseases in relation to 20-year body mass index; the ATTICA study (2002-2022).International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Article
- Pre-COVID-19 Geographic Inequalities in Non-Hispanic Black US Life Expectancy, 1990 to 2019.Population and development review · 2025Article
- "Digital Clinicians" Performing Obesity Medication Self-Injection Education: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR diabetes · 2025Article
- Insights from a codesigned dynamic modelling study of child and adolescent obesity in Australia.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- The Burden of Obesity in Saudi Arabia: A Real-World Cost-of-Illness Study.ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR · 2025Article
- Comparison of Population Attributable Fractions of Cancer Incidence and Mortality Linked to Excess Body Weight in Korea from 2015 to 2030.Endocrinology and metabolism (Seoul, Korea) · 2024Article
- Exploring the relationship between live microbe intake and obesity prevalence in adults.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Population attributable fraction of gas cooking and childhood asthma: What was missed?Global epidemiology · 2024Article
- Cemented vs. Cementless Fixation in Primary Knee Replacement: A Narrative Review.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeObesity is a highly prevalent condition in the United States and elsewhere and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Here, we discuss some issues involved in quantifying the health burden of obesity using population attributable fraction (PAF) estimates and provide examples.
methodsWe searched PubMed for articles reporting attributable fraction estimates for obesity. We reviewed eligible articles to identify methodological concerns and tabulated illustrative examples of PAF estimates for obesity relative to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.
resultsThere is considerable variability among studies regarding the methods used for PAF calculation and the selection of appropriate counterfactuals. The reported estimates ranged from 5% to 15% for all-cause mortality, -0.2% to 8% for all-cancer incidence, 7% to 44% for cardiovascular disease incidence, and 3% to 83% for diabetes incidence.
conclusionsTo evaluate a given estimate, it is important to consider whether the exposure and outcome were defined similarly for the PAF and for the relative risks, whether the relative risks were suitable for the population at hand, and whether PAF was calculated using correct methods. Strong causal assumptions are not necessarily warranted. In general, PAFs for obesity may be best considered as indicators of association.
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