Ecologic, Cross-Sectional Studies Summary

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Chapter Six, Study Designs: Ecologic, Cross-Sectional, Case-Control, is a synopsis of observational verses experimental approaches in epidemiology and research study designs. It is important to use data when conducting research. Without data there is no problem, therefore, a hypotheses or solution can be made. There needs to be a decision made if preexisting data should be used or if new data should be used for the research. Also, there should be a timing of data collection for the research. The timing can be in long intervals or it can be a short period of time. Two basic approaches to the study of epidemiology are observation and experimental. The two are very different but yet they both help to organize which study designs to use. The observational …show more content…

Experimental studies can either be randomized, an example is community trials, or no-randomized (Quasi-experimental) which are clinical trials. Unlike experimental studies, observational studies are uncontrolled and they have broader subjects. Under observational studies are prospective studies which have regards to exposure, cause, or characteristics. Cross-sectional and retrospective studies are conducted under observational studies and are broken into two. Cross-sectional studies are time of study and retrospective are before time of study. Cross- sectional studies are diverse, it uses both probability and non-probability. It can also be used for multiple reasons, such as, planning, the generation of hypotheses, and it can examine diseases or risk factors over various times. Cross-sectional studies are very descriptive in measuring the problem and using a collection of data. Another important study design is ecologic study, which studies a group as a unit. The ecologic approach uses an individual as a unit of study. Much like cross-sectional study, ecologic study can be used for the generation of a

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