Sir Austin Bradford Hill's Guidelines for Assessing Causation

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What is the primary assumption of the strength of association guideline in Hill's criteria for assessing causation?

Associations are only causal if they are observed in a single population.
Small associations are always indicative of causality.
Stronger associations are more indicative of the exposure being causal. (correct)
Biased studies always produce weak associations.

What is the primary goal of Hill's guideline on consistency?

To identify the specific cause of a disease.
To demonstrate that an association is observed across different circumstances. (correct)
To determine the biological gradient of a disease.
To establish a temporal relationship between exposure and outcome.

Which of the following is a modern critique of the consistency guideline?

Sometimes there are good reasons why study results differ. (correct)
All studies must be conducted in the same population.
Studies with different results are always biased.
There are never good reasons why study results differ.

What is the primary assumption of the temporality guideline in Hill's criteria for assessing causation?

The cause precedes the effect. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a limitation of using the strength of association guideline to assess causality?

It may overlook small but potentially causal associations. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of Hill's guideline on biological gradient?

To identify a dose-response relationship between exposure and outcome. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a sufficient cause in the context of the sufficient component cause model?

A complete causal mechanism that results in a particular outcome (D) Signup and view all the answers

What type of cause is 'exposure to TB' in the example of tuberculosis infection?

A necessary cause (B) Signup and view all the answers

How do component causes differ from each other in the sufficient component cause model?

They may differ in their presence or importance for each individual (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the implication of the sufficient component cause model for prevention?

Prevention can occur through the removal of only one component cause (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a component cause that is present in all sufficient causes of a disease?

A necessary cause (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the component causes and the sufficient cause in the sufficient component cause model?

The component causes are necessary and sufficient for the occurrence of the outcome (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to Kenneth Rothman, a cause is an event, condition, or characteristic that meets which of the following criteria?

Without which the disease would not have occurred (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key distinction between association and causation?

Association is a correlation between two variables, while causation implies a cause-and-effect relationship (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of a sufficient cause model?

It assumes that the cause always precedes the effect (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the limitations of Hill's guidelines for assessing causality?

They do not account for confounding variables (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of temporality of cause?

The exposure to the risk factor occurs before the onset of the disease (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of consistency of evidence in causal inference?

The association is observed across different study designs and populations (A) Signup and view all the answers