Discussion: Observational Study Designs

A clinical pediatric nurse has noticed a rise in childhood cancer diagnoses among the
Hispanic population served by the local clinic. The nurse is concerned about this
increase in cancer incidence in the patient population and turns to the literature to
explore current research on this topic. The nurse finds through the reading that there
appears to be an association between parental smoking and childhood cancer and
wonders if this could be the cause of the rise in cases.
This type of suspected association between a risk factor (exposure) and a particular
outcome (childhood cancer) can be evaluated using an observational study design. This
week, you were introduced to observational study designs used in epidemiology. For
this Discussion, you will identify an epidemiologic association of interest (e.g., smoking
and lung cancer, obesity and heart disease, hormone replacement/modification therapy
and breast cancer) and determine an appropriate observational study design for
exploring that association.
To prepare:
 Review the different types of observational study designs presented in the Learning
Resources: ecologic, cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort.
 Carefully examine the characteristics, strengths, and limitations of each design.
 Consider an association between a risk factor and a particular health outcome that is of
interest to you. Then, select the observational study design you think would be the most
appropriate for exploring this association.
 Consider how using observational study designs can lead to improvements in population
health.

By Day 3 Please Answer 1-3 below addressing all parts of the questions. Use APA 7th ed
for references and paper format. Use correct grammar make sure the paper is easy to
read and understand

Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:

1 Identify the association between the risk factor and health outcome you selected, and
suggest which observational study design you feel is most appropriate for examining that
association.

2 Support your selection of the observational design, noting its strengths and limitations for
addressing the health problem.
3 What might you be able to learn by using your selected study design that might lead to
improvements in population health? Support your response with evidence from the literature.