#4 MAS V4: Now Enhanced with Subgroup Meta-Analysis!

I am excited to introduce a new feature in the latest version of MASimplified—Subgroup Meta-Analysis!

This addition lets you dive deeper into your meta-analysis by investigating differences between various groups within your dataset. By identifying potential sources of heterogeneity among studies, you can gain a more nuanced understanding of your results and refine your conclusions.

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Getting Started with Subgroup Meta-Analysis in MAS

To make your experience seamless, I prepared a step-by-step guide to help you conduct your first subgroup meta-analysis using MAS.

The "Subgroup Meta-Analysis" section is now the fifth page of the MAS app. To use it, follow these steps:

✅ Step 1: Load Your Data – Ensure your dataset includes a categorical variable for subgrouping. Of note! A categorical variable name must start with CAT.

✅ Step 2: Conduct the Primary Meta-Analysis – Perform your main meta-analysis as usual.

✅ Step 3: Navigate to the Subgroup Meta-Analysis Page – This is where the new feature comes into play!

To make things easier, we’ve included a new example dataset (data.csv) with a categorical variable, CAT_TC, which represents the type of contraction (Isometric vs. Dynamic). Additionally, we tested the feature's flexibility by including another categorical variable, CAT_training_frequency (<5 vs. ≥5 training sessions per week). This ensures the tool accepts longer variable names and combinations of letters, numbers, and characters.

This is an example of how a data set should look after loading.

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Running Your First Subgroup Meta-Analysis

Once you've conducted the primary meta-analysis and navigated to the Subgroup Meta-Analysis page:

✅ Step 1: Select Your Subgroup Variable – Choose between CAT_TC and CAT_training_frequency in our example.

✅ Step 2: Run the Analysis – Click the “Run Subgroup Meta-Analysis” button to generate results.

Interpret the Findings – The results are split into two key sections:

• Summary of Individual Subgroups – Provides a detailed breakdown of subgroup effects.

• Between-Group Differences Assessment – Uses tau² comparison, as implemented in the metafor package, to analyze variance between groups.

✅ Step 3: Download and Save Your Results

After running the subgroup meta-analysis, you’ll have the option to download a summary CSV file, making it easy to store and analyze your results further.

Conducting Subgroup Meta-Analysis 

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We hope this feature enhances your meta-analysis workflow and provides deeper insights into your research. Give it a try and let us know what you think! 🚀

In the following post, we will dive into understanding the summary of the results from primary and subgroup meta-analysis. So, stay TUNED!

✏️Author: Assist. Prof. Armin Paravlić, PhD