Complete this table by placing one or more “+” or “ –“ marks or short comments in the boxes to provide a

quick comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of these different study designs.

Experi- Prospective Retro- Case- Cross- Descriptive

mental cohort spective control sectional (non-
study study cohort study study analytic)
study study
Can measure disease
incidence

Can evaluate more than

one outcome from the
same risk factor
Can evaluate several
different risk factors for the
same disease
Follows the natural time
sequence of exposure and
disease
Useful for rare exposures
or risk factors

Useful for rare diseases

Useful for diseases with

long latency periods

Logistics? (eg. keeping

track of study groups?
Quality control in method?)
Number of subjects
needed

Cost

Results available quickly

Uses existing data