Purpose of the review: To analyze the characteristics of the articles reviewed in the DataBase section of the American Journal of Health Promotion and to summarize this review in tabular format.
Data sources: All 350 entries in the American Journal of Health Promotion DataBase section beginning with issue 1:3 (Winter 1987) through issue 17:3 (January/February 2003) were included in this review.
Study inclusion and exclusion criteria: Every study summarized in the DataBase section was included. Five duplicate sets of entries existed in the DataBase section. One entry from each set was excluded based upon author consensus. Thus, this review includes 345 unique entries.
Data extraction methods: All data reported in the DataBase section (e.g., sample sizes, measurement tools, study duration), as well as additional data derived directly from the studies (i.e., cross-sectional versus longitudinal study design, unit of analysis, and study topic) were entered in SPSS 11.5 for PC (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, Illinois).
Data synthesis: Data were synthesized to identify the frequency of entry by research question, research design and internal validity rating, unit of analysis, measurement tool(s), and health topics addressed.
Major conclusions: The majority of articles included in the DataBase received the highest research design rating, had robust sample sizes, and were of a meaningful duration. Additionally, a wide variety of topics were addressed. Overall, these strengths indicate that a solid foundation of research has been established on many of the most critical issues facing the health promotion field.