ACBN Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5

Question 1

A cross-over study design is particularly advantageous in nutrition research because it:

Accepted Answer

Allows each participant to serve as their own control, reducing between-subject variability

Answer

Crossover designs have each participant experience all interventions sequentially, reducing variability from individual differences and increasing statistical power.

Question 2

Sensitivity analysis in a meta-analysis of dietary studies is used to:

Accepted Answer

Assess how robust the overall findings are when specific studies or assumptions are changed

Answer

Sensitivity analysis tests whether the meta-analytic conclusions change when specific studies, inclusion criteria, or statistical assumptions are varied.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an ecological fallacy in nutritional epidemiology?

Accepted Answer

Concluding that individuals in a country eat less fat because national fat supply data correlates inversely with national heart disease rates

Answer

Ecological fallacy occurs when group-level associations are incorrectly applied to individuals, as population-level data cannot prove individual-level relationships.

Question 4

In nutrition research, 'internal validity' refers to:

Accepted Answer

The degree to which a study accurately measures what it intends to measure within its own sample

Answer

Internal validity refers to the confidence that observed associations within the study are causal and not due to bias or confounding.

Question 5

A nutritionist reviewing an industry-funded study on a supplement finds consistently favorable results compared to independent studies. This is most likely an example of:

Accepted Answer

Allegiance bias or funding bias affecting study design and reporting

Answer

Funding bias (allegiance bias) occurs when studies funded by entities with a financial interest show systematically more favorable results than independently funded studies.

ACBN - Nutritionist Exam Practice Test

ACBN - Nutritionist Exam Practice Test

ACBN Research & Evidence-Based Practice 5