06 Jan The cross sectional study

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 1 Assignment

Epidemiology Field Introduction

You are an epidemiologist, and have been asked to speak at Career Day for Myers College, a community college in your area. The theme of this year’s Career Day is “Little Known Health Science Fields.” Epidemiology has been identified as one such field, and you have been tasked with introducing the science to the students. In 500-750 words, address the following:

Define epidemiology.

Identify five objectives of epidemiology.

Identify and explain three subspecialties within epidemiology.

Refer to the “Areas of Epidemiology” resource.

You are required to use a minimum of two scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to LopesWrite.

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 2 Assignment

Disease Outbreak Report

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) collects and disseminates information about outbreaks of disease. H1N1, SARS, and West Nile virus are just a few of the disease outbreaks that the CDC has reported. You have been called upon to lead one of the investigations. Select a disease outbreak for which you will lead an investigation.

In a report of 750-1000-words, present the following information:

Identify and describe the necessary steps to be taken for an investigation of the disease outbreak.

For each of the three prevention levels, provide at least two examples of prevention for this disease.

Describe the criteria to be met before screening for this disease.

Describe how the effectiveness of the screening program will be evaluated.

You are required to use a minimum of three scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to LopesWrite.

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 6 Assignment

Asthma Study

Asthma is a chronic lung disease caused by inflammation of the lower airways and episodes of airflow obstruction. Asthma episodes or attacks can vary from mild to life-threatening. In 2007, about 7% percent of the U.S. population was diagnosed with asthma and there have been a growing number of new cases since that time. There are several known risk factors identified as triggers of asthma symptoms and episodes, including inhalation of allergens or pollutants, infection, cold air, vigorous exercise, and emotional upsets. There is also growing evidence relating body-mass index to asthma in both children and adults. Design a study to investigate whether there is such an association.

Choose a study design and justify the reasons you chose the design over others.

Select a statistical measure you would use to describe the association (if there is one) between body mass index and asthma.

In addition, address:

Subject selection

Issues relating to the measurement of both the exposure and the outcome

Potential biases that the study might be prone to, and how they might be handled

Possible confounding factors and effect modifiers and how to overcome their effect

Present the information in a 750-1000-word report, using section headings where each requirement is described and justified under each of the following headings: Study Design, Statistical Measures, Subject Selection, and Measurement Issues.

Refer to the “Key Elements of a Research Proposal.”

You are required to use a minimum of three scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to LopesWrite.

Key Elements of a Research Proposal

If you need a review of study design components, view the resources below.

Review the Key Elements page of the Research Methods Knowledge Base website at http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/guideelements.php

Key Elements of a Research Proposal

Background / purpose / rationale of the study

Literature review

Hypothesis/key questions

Research objectives

Research methods

• Study design

• Statistical bias

• Procedures/timeline

o Specific steps to be taken to complete the study

o Instruments/data collection methods

o Outcomes

• Proposed data analysis plan

o Statistical analyses planned

o Power analysis if appropriate

• Data safety monitoring if appropriate

Study participants

• Description of participates

• Recruitment of participates

• Confidentiality/human subject’s protection/legal-ethical issues (if appropriate)

• Sampling / rationale

o Inclusion/exclusion criteria

o Number of subjects

Statistical Analysis (only if applicable)

Anticipated Results and Potential Pitfalls

Implications for Practice

Adapted from “Key Elements of a Social Science Research Proposal: Statement of Research Plan” by the Office of Research at Northwestern University at www.research.northwestern.edu

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 7 Assignment

Critical Appraisal

Healthy People 2020 is a framework to assist communities in preventing disease and promoting health. Search the scientific literature and find a research study related to one of the focus areas identified by Healthy People 2020.

In a 750-1000-word essay, critically appraise the study by answering each of the following questions:

What is the study question and is it relevant?

Does the study add anything new?

What type of research question is being asked?

Was the study design appropriate for the research question?

Did the study methods address the most important potential sources of bias?

Was the study performed according to the original protocol?

Does the study test a stated hypothesis? If so, what is it?

Does the data justify the conclusions?

Are there any conflicts of interest?

There are methodological points to consider in appraising literature that are specific to cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, clinical trials, and case studies. Based on the design of this study, what are the key methodical points to consider?

You are required to use a minimum of three scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to LopesWrite.

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 8 Assignment

Health Disparities Research Paper

One of the goals of Healthy People 2020 is to reduce health disparities among populations. Select one of the leading health indicators as identified by Healthy People 2020 and write a research paper of 750-1,000 words on the health disparities related to that condition. For the health indicator selected, the paper should include a discussion on the following:

Health Problem

Definition of the problem

Descriptive epidemiology (person, place, time)

Etiology (causes, risk factors)

Health Disparities

What disparities do we know exist for this disease?

Why do these disparities exist?

What explanations have been offered or supported?

What research questions have not been studied that may provide new, insightful information regarding this health problem?

Public Policy

Why is it an important public health problem?

What are some social, political, or economic barriers in our current health care system that impede disease prevention and health promotion for this health problem?

How would you educate/disseminate information about this health problem to the public? (target group, financial constraints)

How could one of a health administrator/manager’s general policies or policies specific to this health condition impact the health status of the target population?

You are required to use a minimum of three scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to LopesWrite.

BIO550 Epidemiology

Week 4 Epidemiologic Study Design Quiz

To show causality, researchers must use a/an ______________ study design.

Experimental

Observational

Cohort

Case-control

Cross-sectional

2The Texas Men’s Health Study enrolled 38,649 men in 1999 and collected exposure and lifestyle information to assess the relationship between these factors and subsequent occurrence of heart disease, is an example of which type of study?

Experimental study

Observational study

Cohort study

Case study

Cross-sectional study

3Clinical trials occur under very specialized, controlled conditions that do not represent everyday life. Generalizing the results obtained in this environment to populations not engaged in the research is a concern for this type of study.

True False

4Suppose you want to know the effects of cocaine use by pregnant women on their babies. What would be the most appropriate method for studying this?

Experimental

Observational

Cohort

Case-control

Cross-sectional

5What study design is very useful for rare diseases that require many years to develop and many people to observe?

Experimental

Observational

Cohort

Case-control

Cross-sectional

6Surveys are not very good at capturing practices and health conditions of populations.

True False

7A study design that involves measuring the same participants over some period of time is a_________ study.

Cross-sectional

Quasi-developmental

Experimental

Cohort

Case-control

8Compared to cohort studies, case-control studies are __________ and _________ to do.

Hard/fast

Well-organized/difficult

Conceptual/hard

Fast/cheap

9A study in which adults are randomly assigned to receive either a newly formulated heart medication or the currently available heart medication and are followed to monitor for the effectiveness of each medication is a/an:

Experimental study

Case study

Cohort study

Case-control study

Cross-sectional study

10One advantage to using a cohort study is that results of the study can be retrieved quickly.

True False

11Which of the following comparisons between the case-control study design and the cohort study design is correct?

The case-control design is better for studying rare exposures than the cohort design.

The case-control design is more expensive than the cohort design.

The case-control design is better for studying rare diseases than the cohort design.

The case-control design is better for determining disease incidence than the cohort design

The case-control design is less prone to recall bias than the cohort design.

12Cohort Studies generally look at which of the following?

Determining the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic methods

Identifying patient characteristics or risk factors associated with a disease or outcome

Variations among the clinical manifestations of patients with a disease

The impact of blinding or masking a study population

13One of the key features of analytic epidemiology is:

Use of an appropriate comparison group

Laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis

Publication in a peer-reviewed journal

Statistical analysis using logistic regression

14Jacob is interested in whether the mere presence of others affected individual behavior. For his study, individuals were brought in and asked to make a speech to either an empty room or a room with five people in it. This type of study is best described as a/an:

Experimental study

Naturalistic observation

Case study

Cohort study

Cross-sectional

15A researcher examines the injuries received in auto accidents in a group of males who are intoxicated while driving compared to another group that is not. The incidence of automobile wrecks is found for both groups at 1 and 5 years respectively. This is an example of a/an ________ study.

Experimental

Observational

Cohort

Case-control

Cross-sectional

16Which of the following refers to an in-depth study of one individual?

Experimental study

Naturalistic observation

Case study

Cohort study

17A teacher would like to identify students’ attitudes about using calculators to complete math assignments. Which of the following research methods would be most appropriate?

Case study

Laboratory observation

Standardized test

Questionnaire

18Several disadvantages to using cohort studies may exist. Which of the following statements is incorrect?

It may take many years to detect changes in the groups

Researchers may be tempted to decrease the length of the study due to the time involved

Participants may drop out of the study as time passes

Cohort studies may be very costly

19Which study design involves the simultaneous comparison of individuals of different ages?

Cross-sectional study

Longitudinal study

Sequential study

Experimental study

20Dr. Zell is interested in studying how reflexes change throughout the lifespan. He decides to study seven different age groups at the same point in time. Dr. Zell is using a:

Cohort design

Cross-sectional design

Longitudinal design

Sequential design

21In descriptive epidemiology our objective is to:

Describe the population

Describe the data we collected

Infer something about the population

Compute an average

22A(n) _____ study is loosely structured and designed to investigate and provide further understanding of a subject matter.

Formal

Causal

Exploratory

Experimental

Descriptive

23Which of the following is most likely to be an experimental study?

A study of the maternal characteristics of successful elementary school teachers

A study that compares the blood pressure readings of drivers and passengers

A study to determine if employers give more sociable employees higher ratings

A study to find out if implementing group projects will increase GPAs

24One of the strengths of a longitudinal design is that:

It eliminates generation effects completely

Data can be collected quickly and inexpensively

You can see developmental changes in behavior more clearly

Both b and c

All of the above

25Which of the following is true of cross-sectional studies:

The cross sectional study is the best study design for assessing the causes of diseases.

The cross sectional study must be done in person.

The cross sectional study can assess for an association between exposure and disease.

The cross sectional study is the best study design for determining disease incidence.

The cross sectional study is the most expensive study design.