This is the lecture notes on Introduction to epidemiological study designs (HFS3063)

1. KNOWLEDGE FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANITYKNOWLEDGE FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMANITY
PUBLIC HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGY (HFS3063)
Epidemiological Study Designs:
INTRODUCTION
Dr.Dr. MohdMohd RazifRazif ShahrilShahril
School of Nutrition & DieteticsSchool of Nutrition & Dietetics
Faculty of Health SciencesFaculty of Health Sciences
UniversitiUniversiti SultanSultan ZainalZainal AbidinAbidin
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2. Topic Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lecture, students should be able to;
• Identify basic study designs used in epidemiology
studies.
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3. Study designs
direct how the
investigation is
conducted
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4. 4
Fig 1: Study designs

5. Time frame of studies
• Prospective Study - looks forward, looks to the future,
examines future events, follows a condition, concern or
disease into the future
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time
Study begins here
With a prospective study
one starts with cohorts
of well individuals, and
we wait until events
occurs.

6. (cont.) Time frame of studies
• Retrospective Study - “to look back”, looks back in
time to study events that have already occurred
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time
Study begins here
Looking backward is
often difficult because
of recall bias, however,
the case control studies
are very inexpensive in
comparison with
prospective studies

7. Study design sequence
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Case reports Case series
Descriptive
epidemiology
Analytic
epidemiology
Clinical
trials
AnimalAnimal
study
Lab
study
Cohort Case-Case-
control
Cross-Cross-
sectional
Hypothesis formationHypothesis formation
Hypothesis testingHypothesis testing

8. Increasing knowledge of exposure
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Descriptive Studies
Case-control Studies
Cohort Studies
Develop hypothesis
Investigate it’s
relationship to outcomes
Define it’s meaning with
exposures
Clinical trials Test link experimentally

9. Thank YouThank You
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