Epidemiological Study Types Quiz

Study Notes

Epidemiological Study Types

Observational studies: Investigators observe subjects but do not intervene
Descriptive studies: Describe disease patterns in a population
- Case report: Detailed report of symptoms, signs, diagnosis, and treatment of an individual patient
- Case series: Research study tracking subjects with a known exposure, examining medical records for exposure and outcome
- Person: Age, sex, race
- Place: Geographic distribution of disease
- Time: Secular trend, seasonal variation
Analytic studies: Determine associations between exposures and diseases
- Case-control studies: Compare individuals with a disease (cases) to individuals without the disease (controls)
- Cohort studies: Follow a group of individuals over time to observe disease development
- Experimental studies: Investigators intervene to test a hypothesis
  - Preventive trials
  - Clinical trials
  - Population trials

Cross-Sectional Study

Also known as prevalence study
Not suitable for studying rare or highly fatal diseases with short durations of expression (acute diseases)
Advantages:
- Measures population sample characteristics
- Determines disease prevalence
- Studies multiple risk factors and multiple diseases simultaneously

Case-Control Study

Retrospectively compares individuals with a disease to those without
Advantages:
- Small number of subjects
- Relatively quick results
- Low cost

Disadvantages

Bias
Odds ratio

Description

Test your understanding of different types of epidemiological studies, including observational and analytic studies. This quiz covers concepts like descriptive studies, case-control studies, and clinical trials. Explore how diseases are studied and analyzed in populations.