ESD - Cross-Sectional Studies Lesson

Cross-Sectional Studies

 

 

In this type of research study, either the entire population or a subset is selected, and from these individuals, data are collected to help answer research questions of interest. The investigator selects a group of individuals and determines the presence or absence of a disease and the presence or absence of an exposure at the same time.  It is called cross-sectional because the information that is gathered represents what is going on at only one point in time.

Cross-sectional studies are used routinely to document the prevalence in a community of health behaviors such as prevalence of smoking, health states such as prevalence of vaccination against measles, and health outcomes, particularly chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

Cross-sectional studies do not require follow-up, are quicker, and are representative of a population, not just a subset of the population. A limitation of cross-sectional studies is the inability to determine if an exposure preceded a disease and therefore caused it.

 

 

 

Epidemiological Study Review

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