Chapter 7

Question 1

The study design selected must be appropriate for:

Answer 1

The goals of the study

Question 2

Often, the best study approach is:

Answer 2

The analysis of existing quantitative data rather than collecting new data.

Question 3

What factors should be considered during the decision making of which study approach to use?

Answer 3

1) Expected duration and cost of the study
2) Populations available for inclusion
3) Possibility of existing data

Question 4

A first critical decision in choosing a study approach is whether you should choose:

Answer 4

A primary study, secondary study, or tertiary study.

Question 5

Give one pro and con for primary studies.

Answer 5

Pro: Control over details like the selection of a source population and the content and wording of the questionnaire.

Con: Collecting new data is time consuming.

Question 6

Give one pro and one con for secondary and tertiary studies.

Answer 6

Pro: Can move quickly from the definition of the study question to the analysis of the related data.

Con: Limited number of data sets and publications available for analysis; the sources might not include exact variables or population of interest.

Question 7

What is the duration of tertiary studies highly dependent on?

Answer 7

Library access and the number of publications that need to be acquired, read, and summarized.

Question 8

Which study approaches focus on individuals with a specific kind of disease?

Answer 8

Case series and case-control

Question 9

Which study approaches seek to recruit a study population that is representative of a well-defined larger population?

Answer 9

Cross-sectional and some cohort studies.

Question 10

Which studies select participants based on disease status?

Answer 10

Case series and case-control

Question 11

Which studies select particpants based on exposure status?

Answer 11

Cohort studies

Question 12

Which studies select particpants who represent a population?

Answer 12

Cross-sectional, experimental, and some cohort studies.

Question 13

All necessary information about the past and present can be collected at one time. Which studies fit this description?

Answer 13

Case-control and cross-sectional studies.

Question 14

Time requirements depend on the selected study design. Which studies fit this description?

Answer 14

Case series and qualitative studies.

Question 15

Participants must be followed forward from a baseline exam. Which studies fit this description?

Answer 15

Cohort and experimental studies.

Question 16

What is the goal of a case series study?

Answer 16

To describe a group of individuals with a disease.

Question 17

What is the goal of a cross-sectional survey?

Answer 17

To describe exposure and/or disease status in a population.

Question 18

What is the goal of a case-control study?

Answer 18

To compare exposure histories in people with diseases (cases) and people without diseases (controls).

Question 19

What is the goal of a cohort study?

Answer 19

To compare rates of new (incident) disease in people with different exposure histories or follow a population forward in time to look for incident diseases.

Question 20

What is the goal of an experimental study?

Answer 20

To compare outcomes in participants assigned to an intervention or control group.

Question 21

What is the goal of a qualitative study?

Answer 21

To understand how individuals and communities perceive and make sense of the world and their experiences.

Question 22

What is the goal of a correlational (ecological) study?

Answer 22

To compare average levels of exposure and disease in several populations

Question 23

What is the goal of a review/meta-analysis?

Answer 23

To synthesize existing knowledge