What is a weakness of an epidemiological study?
A) Findings on some human beings cannot be generalized to all human beings.
B) Results from animal studies cannot be applied to human beings.
C) Cause and effect cannot be proven.
D) Code of ethics prevent certain treatments.
E) The list of possible causes of disease is difficult to narrow down.

Question

What is a weakness of an epidemiological study? 
A) Findings on some human beings cannot be generalized to all human beings. 
B) Results from animal studies cannot be applied to human beings. 
C) Cause and effect cannot be proven. 
D) Code of ethics prevent certain treatments. 
E) The list of possible causes of disease is difficult to narrow down.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Epidemiological studies can only establish an association or correlation between exposures and outcomes, but cannot prove cause and effect. Other factors may also influence the outcome, and there may be errors or biases in data collection and analysis. This limitation is inherent in observational studies, and cannot be overcome by increasing sample size or statistical power. Other choices are not relevant or present limitations of different types of studies.

What Is a Weakness of an Epidemiological Study