UAPP211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cohort Study, Blind Experiment

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Urban Affairs and Public Policy
• Course: UAPP211
• Professor: Erin Knight

Document Summary

Two general categories of studies used in epidemiology: (not in textbook, important to know: experimental studies exposure status is assigned by investigators, you control human behavior. Experiments are the most valid and give the most confidence in results but are not the most ethical. Intervention studies (cid:449)e"re i(cid:374)ter(cid:448)e(cid:374)i(cid:374)g i(cid:374) so(cid:373)e (cid:449)ay. You observe human behavior: cross-sectional study one of the most frequent studies. They are known as (cid:862)s(cid:374)apshots(cid:863), it"s a for(cid:373) of sur(cid:448)eilla(cid:374)(cid:272)e. it"s a s(cid:374)apshot of (cid:449)hat"s goi(cid:374)g o(cid:374) at the time. For example, surveys or opinion can be cross-sectional. Studies like this pro(cid:448)ide the pre(cid:448)ale(cid:374)(cid:272)e; it"s the o(cid:374)goi(cid:374)g (cid:449)ay of (cid:373)o(cid:374)itori(cid:374)g the health (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iors of (cid:449)hat"s goi(cid:374)g o(cid:374). The (cid:272)halle(cid:374)ge is the relatio(cid:374)ship or (cid:272)ausal assu(cid:373)ptio(cid:374) that you make between the two variables, you could make wrong associations. This is the weakest form of study when it comes to relationship between exposure and the outcome; it does(cid:374)"t tell us a(cid:374)ythi(cid:374)g a(cid:271)out (cid:272)ause.