Case Control Study Flashcards, test questions and answers

Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about Case Control Study and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on Case Control Study and get quick solutions for your test.

What is Case Control Study?

A case control study is an observational type of research study that compares two groups of individuals, one with a particular outcome (the cases) and one without the outcome (the controls). The purpose of these studies is to identify potential risk factors for the outcome. Case control studies are typically used when conducting epidemiological or clinical research, as they can provide a cost-effective way to gather information on rare diseases or conditions. Case control studies begin by selecting a group of people who have experienced the outcome of interest (cases) and a group who has not experienced it (controls). Researchers then collect data from both groups on their demographic characteristics, risk factors, lifestyle choices and past health history. By comparing the two groups side-by-side, researchers look for any differences that could potentially be linked to higher risk for experiencing the outcome. For example, if there were more smokers in the cases than in the controls, this may suggest that smoking is a risk factor for the condition being studied. The primary benefit of case control studies is their ability to detect relationships between potential causes and outcomes even when there is no prior knowledge about what those relationships may be. This makes them useful for looking at complex diseases with multiple contributing factors such as cancer or heart disease. Additionally, they are often more cost-effective than other types of observational research designs because fewer participants need to be recruited since all cases and controls have already occurred. However, case control studies also have some limitations due to their observational nature. Namely, it is difficult to establish cause-and-effect relationships because there may be other underlying factors or biases influencing results which cannot be accounted for in analysis. Additionally, recall bias can occur if cases are more likely than controls to remember certain exposures or behaviors due to their experience with the condition being studied.