ch 8 gathering evidence for public health practice Flashcards
descriptive research
purpose- describe some new finding, occurrence, illness
focus- summarizing data
methods- use rates, generate hypotheses
EX: there were 100 cases of measles in Texas in 2024. This represents a rate of 10.4 cases foe every 10,000 people
analytic research
purpose- beyond descriptive, figure out CASUAL RELATIONSHIPS
focus- risk factors and outcomes
methods- uses states to test hypotheses (statistical significance)
EX: analytic might reveal that individuals who were exposed to a specific pathogen has a significantly higher risk of developing the disease compared to those who were not exposed, providing evidence of a casual relationship
descriptive data is first to occur then analytic data encourages testing
- descriptive
- model-building/hypotheses formulation
- analytic/hypothesis-testing studies
- analysis of results of further descriptive studies/new hypotheses
descriptive studies are used MOST FREQUENTLY in public health research
descriptive studies DO NOT have interventions or treatment
this is ANALYTIC studies
case study
in-depth analysis of an individual, group, or social institution
survey research
sample respondents represent the population (has dependent/independent variables)
cross-sectional “snapshot”
relationship of health-related characteristics and other variables at a particular time
analytic studies
non-experiment (cohort/case-control)
experimental (preventative trials/therapeutic trials)
Randomized controlled trials (RCT) is GOLD STANDARD
non-experimental
CANNOT PROVE CAUSATION
cohort studies are prospectively observe presumed effects over time (watch teen vapers over 25 years)
case-control studies RETROSPECTIVELY compare subjects with a disease and matched subjects without the disease
(examine vapers and see if medical hx offers clues on what it has done)
meta analysis
once numerous RCTs have been done, researchers can pool all the data together
this is most beneficial/reliable research
clinical research
- case reports
- case series
- case-control studies
- cohort studies
- RCT blind studies
- meta-analysis
KEY CONCEPTS
epidemiologic research identifies community/public health problems and describes the natural hx and etiology of diseases
epidemiologic research can be descriptive or analytic. Study designs are based on the problem under study and range in strength of a continuum
findings from descriptive studies can be generate hypotheses, which can be then tested in analytic studies
the case study provides an in-depth examination of a single unit, such as a person, family, community, or institution
case-control studies retrospectively compare cases with a condition and matched subjects/control without the condition (those with a foodborne infection compared with those without an infections)
cohort studies (longitudinal studies) examine phenomena prospectively to observe presumed effects over time (effects of diet and exercise on heart disease)
cross-sectional studies examine the relationship between health-related characteristics and other variables of interest (age, gender) in a defined population at a particular point in time
quasi-experimental and experimental designs are used to examine causality (do cigarettes cause lung cancer- unethical study)
the “gold standard” for research design is the RCT design
community health nurses are the consumers of health-related research, which is the foundation of EBP and also is used to inform and educate the public
