Identifying and justifying appropriate Study Designs ·

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Step 1: A not-for-profit organization called Epidemiologists Without Borders has reached out to student researchers studying epidemiology at Florida National University. The organization has asked for support in the design of three research projects they plan to carry-out in several of the communities where they currently work. Read these three case studies summarized below.

NOTE: You may substitute one of the case-studies outlined below for a case study that is relevant to your own community. If you choose to do so, generate a case-study regarding a public health problem that is relevant and requires epidemiological research. Include the case study when you submit your assignment.

Case study 1:

Vaginal cancer is a rare disease that can often be cured when detected in its early stages. Vaginal cancer occurs more often in women over the age of 50 but can occur at any age. There are usually no symptoms for vaginal cancer. Epidemiologists Without Borders has been awarded a large grant to study the relationship between vaginal cancer and prior exposures to any risk factor among women in a South African city.

Case study 2:

Epidemiologists Without Borders has learned that a large group of employees who have worked in a specific building (building A) of a very large corporation for more than 25 years appear to have high cancer incidence rates. The corporation has a total of 3 office buildings (buildings A, B, and C). Epidemiologists Without Borders would like to conduct research to determine if the rates of cancer incidence among those workers from building A are in fact higher than expected.

Case study 3:

Epidemiologists Without Borders supports the rights to life, health, and dignity for people who use illicit drugs. The organization is concerned about the high rates of HIV infection it has observed in one particular community and suspects that there are many risk factors possibly contributing to this high HIV risk. Currently, the data in this community with respect to the exact HIV incidence rate among injection drug users is of poor quality but estimates indicate that the prevalence is as high as 10-20%. Access to HIV testing is also low in this population. Additional challenges include limited resources, and the difficulty in recruiting people for testing due to their high mobility and hidden social networks.

Epidemiologists without Borders would like to identify potential risk factors for contracting HIV among injection drug users in this community so that it can develop appropriate interventions.

Step 2: Select the most appropriate study design for each of the three case-studies proposed by Epidemiologists Without Borders (or for the one relevant in your community) based on what you have learned in this Week’s Lectures, Readings, PPT’s and modules.

Step 3: Write a letter responding to Epidemiologists Without Borders outlining the study designs that you recommend. Justify why the study designs you selected are appropriate for each of the three case-studies. Your response must also outline at least one benefit and one limitation for each of the study designs you have recommended for each case-study. Your letter to Epidemiologist Without Borders should be clear and concise and contain no more than 450-550 words.

 

Sample Solution

Dear Epidemiologists Without Borders,

I am writing to you today to provide recommendations on the study designs for the three research projects that you plan to carry out in several of the communities where you currently work.

Case Study 1: Vaginal Cancer in South Africa

Study Design: Case-control study

Justification: A case-control study is a good choice for this case study because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to conduct. It is also well-suited for studying rare diseases, such as vaginal cancer.

Benefits: Case-control studies are efficient and can be completed in a relatively short period of time. They can also be used to study multiple risk factors for a single disease.

Limitations: Case-control studies are susceptible to recall bias, which occurs when cases and controls remember their past exposures differently. Additionally, case-control studies cannot establish causality, only associations between risk factors and disease.

Case Study 2: Cancer Incidence in Office Building A

Study Design: Cohort study

Justification: A cohort study is a good choice for this case study because it allows researchers to follow over time a group of people who have been exposed to a potential risk factor (i.e., working in Building A) and compare their cancer incidence rates to a group of people who have not been exposed to the risk factor (i.e., working in Buildings B or C).

Benefits: Cohort studies can provide strong evidence for causality, as they allow researchers to follow people over time and observe whether they develop cancer after being exposed to a potential risk factor.

Limitations: Cohort studies can be expensive and time-consuming to conduct. They can also be difficult to recruit participants for, and they may be subject to attrition over time.

Case Study 3: HIV Risk Factors in Injection Drug Users

Study Design: Cross-sectional study

Justification: A cross-sectional study is a good choice for this case study because it allows researchers to collect data on HIV risk factors and HIV prevalence among injection drug users at a single point in time. This type of study is well-suited for studying populations that are difficult to reach, such as injection drug users.

Benefits: Cross-sectional studies are relatively inexpensive and easy to conduct. They can also be used to collect data on a variety of HIV risk factors.

Limitations: Cross-sectional studies cannot establish causality, only associations between risk factors and HIV. Additionally, they may be subject to selection bias, which occurs when the sample of participants is not representative of the population of interest.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Additional Notes:

  • In the case of Case Study 3, it would be important to supplement the cross-sectional study with other methods, such as qualitative interviews with injection drug users, to gain a better understanding of the complex factors that contribute to HIV risk in this population.
  • It is also important to note that all three of the study designs described above have their own strengths and weaknesses. The best study design for a particular research project will depend on the specific objectives of the study, the resources available, and the characteristics of the population being studied.

 

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