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Which study type is that? A guide to study types

Study and experiment types for Health Sciences and Medicine

Case-control study


A case-control study is a type of observational study often used to investigate the causes of diseases or conditions. It compares two groups of people: those with the disease or condition (cases) and those without it (controls). Researchers look back in time to identify factors that might have contributed to the disease by comparing the exposure levels or risk factors between the two groups

case-control studies

 

Useful for addressing:

Etiology questions, Therapy questions, Prognosis questions

Strengths and limitations

 

Strengths

  • Speed and Cost: Faster and cheaper than cohort studies.
  • Rare Outcomes: Ideal for studying rare diseases with long latent periods.
  • Multiple Exposures: Can examine various risk factors for a single outcome.
  • Outbreak Investigations: Useful for linking risk factors to outcomes during outbreaks.

Limitations

  • Rare Exposures: Not suitable for studying rare exposures.
  • Incidence and Prevalence: Cannot estimate disease incidence or prevalence.
  • Multiple Outcomes: Limited to studying one outcome at a time.
  • Temporality: Difficult to establish the timing of exposure and outcome.
  • Biases: Prone to various biases affecting validity.

Summarised from: Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 2: case-control studies. Indian journal of dermatology, 61(2), 146-151.

Further reading and resources

  • Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). What is a Case-Control Study in Research?  https://casp-uk.net/news/what-is-a-case-control-study Link
     
  • JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Case Control Studies Download Link
     
  • Lash, T., & Rothman, K. (2021). 8. Case-Control Studies. In T. Lash, K. Rothman, V. T, & S. Haneuse (Eds.), Modern Epidemiology. Wolters Kluwer Health. Catalogue Link
     
  • Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 2: case-control studies. Indian journal of dermatology, 61(2), 146-151. Full Text
     
  • Schulz, K. F., & Grimes, D. A. (2002). Case-control studies: research in reverse. The lancet, 359(9304), 431-434. Full Text
     
  • Song, J. W., & Chung, K. C. (2010). Observational studies: cohort and case-control studies. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 126(6), 2234-2242. Full Text

Example

Sandler, R. S., Keku, T. O., Woosley, J. T., Sandler, D. P., Galanko, J. A., & Peery, A. F. (2022). Obesity is associated with decreased risk of microscopic colitis in women. World journal of gastroenterology, 28(2), 230–241. Full Text

 

 


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