Meta-analysis is crucial in epidemiology for several reasons:
1. Enhanced Statistical Power: By pooling data from multiple studies, meta-analysis increases the sample size, thereby enhancing the statistical power to detect significant effects. 2. Resolving Uncertainty: Individual studies often produce conflicting results. Meta-analysis helps to resolve these discrepancies by providing a quantitative synthesis of the available evidence. 3. Generalizability: Combining data from diverse populations and settings increases the generalizability of the findings. 4. Efficiency: It is more time and cost-efficient to conduct a meta-analysis than to initiate a new large-scale study.
