Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
-A researcher wanted to determine whether colon cancer was associated with eating meat. He selected a sample of 500 men with colon cancer and an equal number of men without colon cancer. The two groups were matched - in other words they were similar in terms of age, occupation, income, and exercise levels. Histories on the amount of meat consumed over the previous twenty years were obtained for all men. The total amount of meat that each man eaten in the previous twenty years was estimated. The meat consumption was compared for the two groups.
A) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time
B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
C) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This study is retrospective because it involves looking back at participants' past behaviors (meat consumption) to assess its association with a current condition (colon cancer).