Study designs and their main characteristics

Study Design Subtypes (if Study objectives Where does Main study Data analysis Issues / biases
applicable) data come question(s)
from?
Case None Describe a group of individuals  Primary What are the key  Primary  low quality
w/ a disease/condition data characteristics of data
series/case the cases in this  information
 Secondary  Secondar
report group missing/incomplete
data y data @ intake
Cross- - (Some can be KAP describe the exposure/disease The researcher asks What is the Calculate: Convenience populations: a
surveys) status in a population a few hundred prevalence of the -prevalence rates study population that lack
sectional Knowledge, people to complete exposure or/& -Prevalence rate representation of the whole
survey Attitudes(beliefs) & a short disease in the ratios community being studied
Practices (behaviors) questionnaire and population? -Odds ratios
-Repeated cross- then analyzes the
sectional surveys data
Case-control None Compare exposure histories of Recruited by: Do cases & Odds ratio: Misclassification bias: bias
ppl w/ a disease(cases) & ppl w/o -friends and controls have compares the odds that occurs when
study that disease (controls) relatives of cases different exposure of exposure among participants are not correctly
-hospital/clinic pts histories? cases to the odds of categorized; All participants
w/o disease of exposure among must be asked questions that
interest controls confirm whether each is a
-the general pop a/c ÷b/d = ad/bc case, a control, or neither
Recall bias: bias that occurs
when cases and controls
systematically have different
memories of the past
Cohort study 1.Retrospective Retrospective & prospective Information is Retrospective & Rate ratio/ -Information bias: exposed
cohort (exposure in cohorts: compare new incidents collected from prospective relative risk/ participants are more
the past) of disease in people with individuals @ cohorts: Is the risk ratio/ thoroughly examined for
2. Prospective different exposure history multiple points in exposure relative ratio: the disease than unexposed
cohort (exposure in time, researchers associated with ratio of incidence participants
the present) Longitudinal cohort: follow a can know w/ w/ an increased rate among the -When participants are lost
3. Longitudinal population forward in time to certainty which incidence of exposed to the to follow (in all cohort
cohort (follow for a look for new incidence of disease exposures were disease? incidence rate in subtypes)
long-time w/o any present in Longitudinal the unexposed -data mismanagement: when
exposure focus; individual cohort: Is RR= too much information is
future) participants before exposure a/(a+b) collected @ too many points
the onset of new associated w/ an c/(c+d) in time
disease increased incidence rate: the (Longitudinal cohorts)
incidence of 3 of new cases of
disease? disease in pop.
during specified
period divided by
the total # of ppl in
pop. who were @
risk during that
period of time
-Excess risk AKA
attributable risk
(AR): the absolute
difference in
incidence rate
between the
exposed pop. &
Unexposed pop.
-Attributable risk
percent (AR%): A
proportion of
incident cases
among the exposed
that are due to
exposure
Experimental None -compare outcomes in -RCTs: randomized -Does the -measures of -noncompliance to RCT
participants assigned to an controlled trials exposure cause survival (Hazard -Hawthorne bias: occurs
study intervention or control group the outcome? ratio or HR): when participants in the
-efficacy: study change their behavior
proportion of for the better because they
individuals in the are being observed
control group who -Lost to follow
experience an -information bias: if the
unfavorable blinding method was not
outcome who could used
have been
expected to have a
favorable outcome
had they been in
the active group
instead[hi #
indicates
intervention is
successful]
-# needed to treat:
the expected
number of people
who would have to
receive a treatment
to prevent an
unfavorable
outcome in one
person (or,
alternately stated,
to achieve a
favorable outcome
in one person) [hi
level indicates an
effective
intervention]
-RR
-incidence rate
-AR%
-AR
Qualitative None -qualitative study looks for the -unstructured or -open-ended -formulate new -
themes & meanings that emerge semi structured; questions theories
study from observation of & interaction focus group (Flexible response - point out themes
w/ key informants discussions, in- options) & or patterns
depth interview, -researcher uses
participant focus groups and
observations then come up w/
code
words/categories
are sorted into
categories to
summarize the
results
Ecological / None -compare the average levels of -existing population -do populations -correlation (rho) -ecological fallacy
exposure and disease in several level data Is used with a higher rate
correlational exposures (No individual data of exposure, have
study is used) a higher rate of
exposure
Reviews 1. Narrative 1)
2)forest plot
review 3)Calculate odds
2. Systematic ratio of all studies
review (summary statistic)
3. Meta-
analysis