Research Methods in Epidemiology (Quantitative and Qualitative?)
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
- After reading the topics and text for this module explain which method (quantitative or qualitative) you would use to study a disease of your choice and why.
- For example, to study chlamydia and its association with PID (Pelvic Inflammatory disease), disease I chose…—see Chlamydia articles and the methods used. EXPLAIN WHY IS IMPORTANT TO USE BOTH METHOD DESIGNS TO STUDY CHLAMYDIA (infectious disease, prevention and control in epidemiology)
- I would use mixed study designs (see the articles why is important to use both), describe the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative methods
- Describe the different Quantitative methods mentioned in the textbook (Observational Analytic study designs: See TEXT BOOK copies uploaded (Cohort,Case-control, and case-crossover). Can reference the textbook… Merrill, 2017).
***This Was taken from an article, link below. It’s too old, can’t add as a reference!
***An important objective of epidemiological research is to identify risk factors for disease. Depending on the particular question being asked, cohort studies, case-control studies, or cross-sectional studies are conducted.
Epidemiological research employs various different types of study (1–3), depending on the question asked. The most important are
- Cohort studies
- Case-control studies, and
- Cross-sectional studies
-In cohort studies, persons exposed to specific risk factors are compared with persons not exposed to these factors. The occurrence of diseases or deaths in these two groups is observed prospectively. Data from cohort studies allow the estimation of incidence rate and mortality rate as descriptive measures of frequency, as well as relative risk (RR) or hazard ratio (HR) as comparative effect measures. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) or standardized mortality ratios (SMR) are used for comparison with the general population.
-In case-control studies, persons suffering from the studied disease are compared with controls who do not have the disease. Exposure is recorded retrospectively. The odds ratio (OR) is calculated as a comparative effect measure.
-In cross-sectional studies, the exposure and disease status are examined for a sample from a defined population at the same time point. The prevalence of various diseases and the risk factors, as well as the OR can be determined. (See Text book, Merrill, 2017)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2853157/
- II) Quantitative studies - observational: (Mostly used in epidemiology)
- g) Cohort study
- h) Case-control study
- j) Cross-sectional study/Surveillance
- l) Case series
- m) Case report (single case study)
III) Qualitative studies:
- n) Document analysis
- o) Focus groups
- p) Interview study
- q) Observation and participant observation
- r) Process evaluation
Harder, T., Takla, A., Rehfuess, E., Sánchez-Vivar, A., Matysiak-Klose, D., Eckmanns, T., . . . Wichmann, O. (2014). Evidence-based decision-making in infectious diseases epidemiology, prevention and control: Matching research questions to study designs and quality appraisal tools. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 14, 69.
- 2. PLEASE USE MY REFERENCES, I’m attaching all the articles and copies of my text book). If you want to use an extra reference, it must be scholarly, peer reviewed article. Please include DOI numbers on the reference page (It’s required in APA). References MUST be scholarly journal articles (Nothing from conferences, other text books online, goggle, .com).
- This assignment is for the DNP class and the grading is rigorous including grammar and APA style.
- 4. Reminder: please avoid using “This, this is why, these, It” at the beginning of sentences! This is not clear for the reader and is not use in formal writing. Also avoid “as well as” as much as possible.
