Research Question and Evidence

• To an exercise scientist: Informs practice • To an Accredited Exercise physiologist: Informs clinical practice • To me as a student: Practicum hours, post-graduate degrees

• Evidence based practice is the attempt to locate the best available research evidence to assist health professionals make the best decision for their client

• Question identified (top middle of the circle) • Hypotheses formed • Research plan • Data collected • Results interpreted (New questions arise)

• A belief or prediction of the eventual outcome of the research

• Null hypothesis - typical statistical theory which suggests that no statistical relationship and significance between data Alternative (research) hypothesis - the alternative hypothesis is a position that states something is happening

• Primary • Secondary • Tertiary

Australia bureau of statistics

• Observational (natural) studies • Observing trend in PA levels over time 2. Experimental studies (the researcher tries to change the exposure, factor, infleunce) • Providing an exercise program to see if fitness changes

• Editorials, expert opinion (bottom) • Case reports • Case-control studies • Cohort studies • Randomized controlled trials • Systematic reviews (top)

• A systematic review attempts to collate all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question

• A forest plot displays effect estimates and confidence intervals for both individual studies and meta-analyses

• A: Body of evidence can be trusted to guide practice • B: Body of evidence can be trusted to guide practice in most situations • C: Body of evidence provides some support for recommendations but care should be taken • D: Body of evidence is weak and recommendation must be applied with caution

Objectivity

Theoretical basis • Professional practice • Personal experience • Shear curiosity

Specific observations leading to broad generalisations

• General statement, or hypothesis

• Theory • Hypothesis • Observation • Confirmation

• Observation • Pattern • Tentative hypothesis • Theory

Descriptive Relational Causal

collect data from many different individuals at a single point in time

A study that compares two groups of people: those with the disease or condition under study (cases) and a very similar group of people who do not have the disease or condition

A study design where one or more samples (called cohorts) are observed over a period of time. The incidence of disease in the exposed group is compared with the incidence of disease in the unexposed group.

Cohort case studies cross-sectional case-control

Single group interventions Quasi - experimental Randomised controlled trials