Question 1

How are cohort studies different from experimental studies?&#10;A) Cohort studies use smaller samples.&#10;B) Cohort studies measure long-term outcomes.&#10;C) Cohort studies do not employ random assignment to groups.&#10;D) Cohort studies involve indirect comparison rather than direct comparison.

Accepted Answer

Cohort studies do not employ random assignment to groups; they observe subjects in their natural settings, unlike experimental studies which involve random assignment to control and treatment groups.

Question 2

Which statement best describes case-control studies?&#10;A) They are in-depth studies of a single case.&#10;B) They are studies in which control is exerted over the treatment individuals get.&#10;C) They are studies in which a risk exposure is identified and the persons are followed to see how the disease or condition develops.&#10;D) They are studies in which persons with and without a rare outcome are studied and then there is a backward look for risk exposures.

Accepted Answer

Case-control studies involve identifying individuals with a specific outcome (cases) and comparing them to individuals without the outcome (controls) to look retrospectively for exposure to risk factors.

Question 3

Cohort studies are a good way to study which one of the following phenomena?&#10;A) The effects of social support on disease outcomes&#10;B) The effects of risk factors on health outcomes&#10;C) Outcomes associated with rare diseases&#10;D) The effectiveness of interventions providing group healthcare counseling

Accepted Answer

Cohort studies are observational studies that follow a group of people over time to assess the effects of certain risk factors on health outcomes. They are particularly useful for studying the relationship between risk factors and the development of diseases.

Question 4

Which of the following statements most accurately describes a cohort study?&#10;A) Persons are randomly assigned to groups and then followed to determine if they develop certain outcomes.&#10;B) Groups of persons with different levels of risk are identified and then followed to determine if they develop certain outcomes.&#10;C) Persons with rarely occurring conditions are matched with persons who don't have the conditions and their prior exposure to risk is examined.&#10;D) Persons are randomly assigned to groups and then data is collected ex post facto to study certain variables.

Accepted Answer

A cohort study involves identifying groups of individuals based on their exposure to a certain risk factor and then following them over time to see if they develop the outcome of interest.

Question 5

In the exemplar cohort study about smoking and bone healing after an orthopaedic surgery (W-Dahl & Toksvig-Larsen, 2004), which combination of strategies did the researchers use to check on the influence of potential confounding variables?

A) Eliminated persons with severe deformity and ran a healing profile analysis on those in the study
B) Compared characteristics profiles of the two groups and ran a multiple regression analysis that included variables they thought might affect healing
C) Had strict exclusion criteria and randomly selected patients for the study
D) Identified persons who had smoked for 25 years or more and ran t-tests to compare their healing outcomes to those who smoked less than 25 years

Accepted Answer

The researchers compared characteristics profiles of the two groups and used multiple regression analysis to account for potential confounding variables affecting healing.

Question 6

In cohort studies, what is the main criterion used to form cohort groups?&#10;A) Exposure to a risk factor&#10;B) Demographic characteristics&#10;C) Random assignment&#10;D) Theory-based assumptions

Accepted Answer

Cohort studies primarily form groups based on exposure to a risk factor to observe outcomes over time.

Question 7

What is a frequent limitation of conducting a cohort study?&#10;A) Lack of subject compensation&#10;B) Need for mixed methods&#10;C) Confounding variables&#10;D) Low generalizability

Accepted Answer

Cohort studies often face the challenge of confounding variables, which can affect the validity of the results by introducing bias if not properly controlled.

Question 8

Which of the following is the source of confounding variables in cohort studies?&#10;A) The researcher's decision regarding whom to ask to be in the study&#10;B) The fact that the two groups may be different in ways other than the risk factor of interest&#10;C) The researcher's choice regarding the outcome to study&#10;D) The use of retrospective methods rather than prospective methods

Accepted Answer

In cohort studies, confounding variables arise when the groups being compared differ in ways other than the risk factor of interest, potentially affecting the study's outcome.

Question 9

What information does relative risk (RR) provide?&#10;A) Information about a group's baseline risk of an outcome&#10;B) Information about a group's risk in comparison to another group's risk&#10;C) Information about factors contributing to risk&#10;D) Information about family member's risk for a recessive genetic condition

Accepted Answer

Relative risk (RR) provides information about a group's risk in comparison to another group's risk, typically used to compare the risk of an outcome between an exposed group and a non-exposed group.

Deck 8: Cohort Research