Association between satisfaction of the STROBE items and journal's IF
| Item | IF>4 N=13 (%) | IF≤4 N=53 (%) | No IF N=12 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study design reported in title/abstract | 7 (54) | 28 (53) | 2 (17) |
| Informative abstract included | 5 (38) | 22 (42) | 2 (17) |
| Background/rationale explained | 10 (77) | 40 (75) | 3 (25) |
| Objectives explained | 4 (31) | 11 (21) | 2 (17) |
| Key elements of study design defined | 10 (77) | 28 (53) | 3 (25) |
| Hospital/community setting explained | 13 (100) | 44 (83) | 8 (67) |
| Eligibility criteria defined | 12 (92) | 47 (89) | 7 (58) |
| Epidemiological variables described | 10 (77) | 35 (66) | 6 (50) |
| Data sources/measurement defined | 9 (69) | 34 (64) | 4 (33) |
| Analysis of study bias included | 1 (8) | 0 | 0 |
| Justification of study sample size reported | 1 (8) | 4 (8) | 0 |
| Quantitative variables defined | 3 (23)* | 2 (4)* | 0 |
| Statistical methods and control of confounding reported | 5 (38)* | 5 (9)* | 0 |
| Number of participants reported | 9 (69) | 34 (64) | 5 (42) |
| Characteristics of participants reported | 13 (100) | 52 (98) | 9 (75) |
| Outcome data defined | 13 (100) | 51 (96) | 8 (67) |
| Unadjusted and adjusted estimates given | 6 (46) | 18 (34) | 2 (17) |
| Key results summarised | 13 (100) | 50 (94) | 8 (67) |
| Limitations of the study considered | 8 (62) | 27 (51) | 2 (17) |
| Interpretation of results provided | 13 (100) | 45 (85) | 7 (58) |
| Generalisability of study reported | 6 (46) | 20 (38) | 4 (33) |
*p≤0.05 based on two-sided Fisher’s exact test comparing the proportions among articles with journal IF>4 vs IF≤4.
IF, impact factor; STROBE, Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology.