research design Flashcards
Why is research design important?
To provide a framework of methods and techniques
Enables research to be conducted in a structured way
Research design tells us “how” a study is conducted.
Descriptive Research: “What is going on?”
Experimental (or mechanistic) Research: “Why is it going on?”
what is Observational studies
there is no intervention
Provides information on associations between an ‘exposure’ and an ‘event’ or ‘characteristics’ of the population
what is experimental studies
involves an intervention:
Allows for the determination of cause and effect if the study is designed appropriately!
what is cross sectional research
- Assesses a phenomenon at one point in time
2.Measures different samples/populations (or only one sample/population ONCE)
3.Provides a snapshot of a given point in time
4.Examines trends and changes at a societal/national/international level
what is longitudinal research
1.Assess a phenomenon at several points in time
2.Measures the same sample/population over time
3.Provides information on change at the individual level
4.Examines changes in the same people over time
what is Cross-sectional design: single group
One sample of participants recruited from target population
Information is collected from these people once
example of Cross-sectional design: single group
What are the associations between energy/nutrient intakes and frailty in older migrant women in the UK?
Example paper: Castaneda-Gameros et al. 2017. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 49(1):3-10e1.
what is Cross-sectional design: multiple groups
Different groups of defined participants are recruited
Information is collected from these people once
example of Cross-sectional design: multiple groups
Type of research question:
Are athletes different from non-athletes? Is one patient group different from another?
what is Retrospective design
Backward looking: examine data that already exist
Tries to identify factors that predict whether something will happen (e.g., disease, sports performance)
example of Retrospective design
Type of research question:
Does meeting the UK physical activity recommendations over a lifetime have a protective effect against falling in older people?
what is Prospective design
Forward looking: collects new data, then sometimes, watch/wait
Waits for outcomes (e.g., development of disease, or sporting performance) and relates this to suspected influencing factors
what is case control study
Usually retrospective (but not exclusively)
“Cases” have the outcome (e.g., heart disease)
“Controls” do not have the outcome
what is Randomised controlled trial
Forward looking (prospective)
Participants are randomized into a “control” or “intervention” group
Follows groups over time to determine a difference in outcomes
what is Quasi-experimental design
An intervention study that DOES NOT:
Randomise participants AND/OR
Have a control group
Example: Testing the impact of a physical activity intervention on risk for type 2 diabetes in South Asian adults
Only one group (e.g., an exercise intervention)
Without a control group we cannot say with confidence that the intervention is/is not effective (it could be due to time/season)
