Epidemiology Study Design

This article discusses the appropriate study designs in epidemiology for examining the causation of diseases, advantages and disadvantages of each design. It covers cohort study design, case-control study design, cross-sectional study design, ecological approach, and interventional study design. The article also provides examples of each study design and their relevance in exploring health issues. Subject: Epidemiology

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Running head: EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY DESIGN
Epidemiology Study Design
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation

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EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY DESIGN
Introduction
Epidemiology is the analysis and study of the determinates and distribution of disease
conditions and health in a defined population. Typically, epidemiology is a significant study in
our society as it identifies risk factors for disease conditions and shapes decision policy in
healthcare. Moreover, epidemiology applies a range of study design depending on the aim and
objective of the study (Taherian, Feshangchi, Rezayi, and Jahandideh, 2017). Recent reviews in
the field of epidemiology have aimed at revealing the unprejudiced link between exposure such
as chemical to morbidity, smoking or alcohol or stress.
On the other hand, a study design refers to an inclusive strategy that a researcher uses to
integrate component of the study logically and lucidly which will ensure research problem is
addressed adequately (Nallathambi et al., 2016). Also, a research design outlines the analysis,
measurement, and collection of data. The paper will explore the appropriate study design to be
used in examining the causation of a disease condition based on the study “Relationship Between
Lung Cancer and Smoking. Also, the paper will discuss the advantage and disadvantage of the
most appropriate research design in exploring the health issues.
Part 1
Appropriate Study Design in Examining the Causations
In the case of examining the causes of diseases, a cohort study approach will be the most
appropriate research design because the method uses all of the available information about a
particular population over the risk period (Vogtmann, and Goedert, 2016). A Cohort study design
is a significant approach in the field of epidemiology as it helps to determine if an acquaintance
is linked with an outcome and the method identifies the causes of health conditions. Research
that was conducted by Carter, Coletti, and Harris, (2015) adopting a cohort study designed

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revealed that there is an association between lung cancer and smoking. A cohort study design is
the best approach to examining the causes of a condition because it uses all the available
information, for example, risk history concerning smoking.
The method can either be retrospective or prospective as a study group is compared with
a controlled group to establish a link between the exposure and the outcome in a defined
population (Sterne, et al., 2016). The findings of recent studies revealed that smoking causes
cancer as there were more cases of cancer among individual with past smoking history.
Part 2
The Association between Depression and Binge Eating in Obese Adolescents and Adults
For the case of examining the association between depression in obese adults and
adolescents, a case-control study approach will be the most appropriate research design because
the method looks at one outcome which is the depression in obese adults and adolescents.
Advantage and Disadvantage of Case-Control Study
Case-Control study design is the most used study design in the field of epidemiology as
they are used to study the outcome of a health condition that is uncommon or rare. Also, a case-
control study is relatively inexpensive and quick to conduct when compared to other analytical
studies such as cohort research. To add, the case-control study design is an efficient approach for
the study of health conditions with extended latency period (Szklo, and Nieto, 2015). Despite,
the numerous advantages of case-control study approach it has some disadvantages. A case-
control research method is prone to bias, especially in observer bias and selection. Lastly, the
approach is unable to identify the incidence rates of health conditions and establishing a
relationship between a disease and exposure may be difficult.
The long-term effects of imprisonment on the physical and mental health of asylum seekers

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EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDY DESIGN
For the case of exploring the long-term effect of imprisonment, a cross-sectional study
will be the most appropriate design as it seeks to understand health-related characteristic and
health needs of a given population (Wang, Lu, and Zhao, 2015).
Advantage and Disadvantage of a Cross-Sectional Study Design
The most significant pro of cross-sectional research design is that they are generally cheap
and quick because there is less recourse needed and no follow up is required. Also, a cross-
sectional study is the best approach in measuring prevalence for factors under investigation, for
example, the effect of imprisonment on mental health. Lastly, the prevalence of health-related
conditions is critical in public health for assessing the burden of a particular state in a defined
population. On the other hand, the limitation of this type of study is that it is not suitable for
studying diseases with short durations and rare health conditions. Lastly, the study design is
unable to measure health condition incidence.
Folate Supplementation During Pregnancy and Development of Autism in Offspring
For the case of this research ecological approach will be the best study design in
understanding folate supplement during pregnancy and development of autism in offspring. The
ecological study aims at examining one variable, either an outcome or an exposure.
Advantage and Disadvantage of Ecological Approach
The most significant advantage of the ecological study design is quick and cheap as it
uses available information. Also, the approach plays a critical role in generating a hypothesis of a
study. Lastly, the design can be used to study group-specific effect, for example, the effect of
folate supplement during pregnancy. On the other hand, the primary disadvantage of ecological
study is that it is difficult to interpret the collected information (Carter, Coletti, and Harris,

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2015). Also, the study cannot control puzzling factors. Lastly, due to many limitations of the
approach, it provides reasonably weak evidence about the link between exposure and outcome.
Testing a Drug for use in Elderly People Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease
For testing drug use in older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease Interventional
study design will be appropriate because it creates a beneficial effect of procedures or medicines.
Interventional studies in epidemiology play a critical role as it provides consistent evidence of a
procedure or drug.
Advantage and Disadvantage of Interventional Study
The most important advantage of interventional study is that it gives reliable
epidemiological evidence about the effectiveness of a given procedure or drug. Also, the
approach can measure multiple outcomes and disease incidence. In addition, the method
minimizes bias because it enables blinding in the process of data collection. Lastly, the
interventional study provides a consistent basis of statistical inference (Elwood, 2017). However,
the study design is time-consuming and expensive as it involves evaluating the effect of a
specific practice or treatment. Also, the approach is prone to ethical problems as it requires
testing of unknown drugs and procedures which might harm the participants. Lastly, the method
does not guarantee comparable study groups as variance in confounding variable may occur.
Conclusion
Study design in epidemiology varies depending on the aim of the research, for example,
if the researcher wants to explore the causation of a particular condition in a defined population a
cohort study approach will be the most appropriate design to use. Moreover, study design plays a
critical role in a research study as it is a strategy that integrates component of the study logically
and lucidly which will guarantee the success of a study.

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References
Carter, J. L., Coletti, R. J., & Harris, R. P. (2015). Quantifying and monitoring overdiagnosis in
cancer screening: a systematic review of methods. Bmj, 350, g7773.
Elwood, M. (2017). Critical appraisal of epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Oxford
University Press.
Nallathambi, C., Yumkhaibam, S. D., Singh, L. J., Singh, T. T., Singh, I. Y., & Daniel, N.
(2016). Clinico-Epidemiologic Patterns of Laryngeal Cancer: 5-year Results from a
Regional Cancer Centre in Northeastern India. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer
Prevention, 17(5), 2439-2443.
Sterne, J. A., Hernán, M. A., Reeves, B. C., Savović, J., Berkman, N. D., Viswanathan, M., ... &
Carpenter, J. R. (2016). ROBINS-I: a tool for assessing risk of bias in non-randomised
studies of interventions. Bmj, 355, i4919.
Szklo, M., & Nieto, F. J. (2015). Epidemiology. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Taherian, R., Feshangchi-Bonab, M., Rezayi, A., & Jahandideh, M. (2017). The etiologic
profile of the pediatric seizure: an epidemiological study from Iran. International Clinical
Neuroscience Journal, 4(3), 98-102.
Vogtmann, E., & Goedert, J. J. (2016). Epidemiologic studies of the human microbiome and
cancer. British journal of cancer, 114(3), 237.
Wang, Q., Lu, Q., & Zhao, H. (2015). A review of study designs and statistical methods for
genomic epidemiology studies using next generation sequencing. Frontiers in genetics, 6,
149.

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