Match each clinical research scenario with the most appropriate epidemiologic study design.
- To determine if episodes of heavy physical exertion transiently increase the immediate risk of acute aortic dissection, a study measures exposure to exertion in the 2 hours prior to symptom onset and compares it to exertion during the same 2-hour time window on the previous day for the same patients.Case-crossover study
- Investigators have access to stored baseline serum samples from 80,000 initially healthy adults followed over 15 years. To efficiently evaluate a novel biomarker for multiple sclerosis, they thaw and analyze samples only from the 210 incident cases and 840 matched disease-free individuals.Nested case-control study
- A multi-center trial is structured to evaluate the efficacy of a new low-dose oral contraceptive and a daily calcium supplement on bone mineral density, randomly assigning participants to receive both, one, the other, or neither, to assess main effects and interactions.Factorial design randomized trial
- Analysts utilize international databases to plot the per capita sugar-sweetened beverage sales against the overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes across 50 different countries to identify broad population-level correlations.Ecological study
Answer
The correct matches pair each specific research methodology with its defining epidemiologic study design.
Each scenario specifically aligns with the methodological strengths and defining characteristics of one study design. The transient exposure and self-matching define the case-crossover design. Utilizing a pre-existing cohort to efficiently study an expensive biomarker defines the nested case-control study. The simultaneous randomization of two independent interventions to assess main effects and interactions defines the factorial design. Using a population as the unit of analysis defines the ecological study.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Epidemiologic Study Designs