Case-Control and Cohort Study

The case-control study is usually contrasted with cohort studies. In case-control studies, controls represent the population from which the cases are drawn from. Powerful results can be drawn from powerful and well-designed cohort study.

There are few steps required for cohort study. First step for cohort study involved identifying exposed and unexposed group. Next prospective study; during follow-up period, identifies diseased subjects. Third, retrospective study; identifies diseased subjects by written records or interview. Finally, analyze differences; analyze among those exposed and those unexposed.

Case-control study involves with four planned steps. These four steps are easy to identify. First, identify cases. Second, pick controls; which may be matched to cases. After measure some risk factors or exposure of interest for case-control study. Finally compare the absence or presence of exposure in controls and cases.

There are few advantages for Cohort study. Advantages include; multiple outcomes are examine for a given exposure, great for investigating not unknown exposures, help us calculation rates of diseases in unexposed and exposed, and can collect data for sequence of events.

There are also few advantages for Case-Control study. These advantages are; examining rare outcomes, fast to conduct, inexpensive, much have comparatively few subjects, existing records are useful, and more than one risk factors or exposures can be tested.

Both of these studies can be done without any interventions. The one I like is Case-control study because it’s used to find information on absence or presence of disease.

Neutens.J. & Rubinson, L. (2010). Research Techniques for the Health Sciences. San Francisco, CaliforniaL Pearson Education Inc.