1. Magazine article
Magazine articleYou are the nutrition writer and editor for the No. 1 selling health magazine
in Australia. You have received the following letter:Dear EditorI am really interested in
eating a healthy diet full of vitamins and minerals. That is why I am considering eating only
organic produce so that I can increase the amount of vitamins and minerals that I get in my
diet. However some of my friends tell me it is a waste of money. I am now really confused,
are there any advantages to eating organic produce?From Really Confused.Your magazine is
a signatory to the “ Australian Health Magazines Committee” (AHMC) for providing Health
Advice on Evidence-Based Medicine.This committee was commissioned by the NHMRC
following the publication of an article in an Australian Health magazine that recommended
dangerous nutritional advice, which led to the death of a young cancer sufferer. The inquest
that followed led to the Coroner making recommendations for evidence-based
publishing.The guidelines require that letters be responded to in the following manner:1. A
table which provides details of all the evidence-based sources that were used to
prepare the subject letter. This table is not published in the magazine, but can be used again
by the magazine if a similar letter is sent in. AIDitionally, this report may be audited by the
AHMC for accuracy and scientific rigour regarding the subject matter.2. A response to the
letter that is published in the magazine (700 words). This response is a summary based on
the referenced report (Part 1), but must be written for the layperson.3. A twitter release
(Note that this does not actually have to be tweeted)Example of Evidence
TableReference Study Name Study details Results Quality of Study& AIDitional
Comments*Timms & Harris 2008Am J Clin Nutr121: 1001-1009 The effect of coffee
consumption during pregnancy on baby’ s sleeping patterns N=30 pregnant women at
28weeks.RCT. 2 groups, 2 cups of coffee/day compared with 2 cups of decaf
coffee. Favourable sleep patterns (assessed by SFS – sleep factor score) in women
consuming 2 cups per day from 28 wks to birth. SFS of 28 in coffee group compared with 5
in decaf group P<0.0001 Level IIStudy funded by Cibo.All parents were in a stable long-
term relationship & high SES.Did not consider other sources of dietary caffeine, other
children in family, and complications at birth.Key criteria of this assignment:Response
published in the magazineUses clear, appropriate lay languageProvides adequate
introduction of relevant background informationRecommendations are clear and consistent
and reflect findings from the referenced tableAcknowledges if there is any controversyClear
structure and flow to responseTwitter ReleaseClear concise tweet that summarises
responseCorrect lengthA referenced tableCorrect abstraction and synthesis of information
2. from sourcesConsiders recommendations from relevant international and national health
authoritiesConsiders overall quality of evidence according to NHMRC levels of
evidenceStructure, Presentation & FormatAdheres to set word countClear and concise
presentation of informationLogical and easy to followNormal academic standards of
literacyDoes not repeat material from text in tablesAppropriate referencing in body text
and tablesUse of Harvard Referencing systemOverall evidence of wide reading and good
understanding of relevant nutrition and disease
