Ch. 17 Physical Activity Epidemiology Research

Briefly discuss three (3) difficulties of cohort studies in epidemiological research

1. Cohort studies are difficult and costly to conduct because of the challenges inherent in keeping track of large numbers of people over long periods of time 2. Loss to follow-up can be problematic because large numbers of losses can result in biased estimates of the exposure-disease relationship 3. Some disease outcomes are sufficiently rare that even an extremely large cohort may not produce enough cases for meaningful analyses

What are some ways that epidemiological research attempts to deal with its inability to determine cause and affect?

1. Distribution 2. Determinants 3. Application

Explain what kinds of data would be important in attempting to establish a relationship between activity and longevity

1. Frequency 2. Duration 3. Intensity 4. Dose

A type of study that matches individuals with and without disease on factors such as age and ethnicity is the

Case-control study

A study design uses, for example, two (2) groups of people representing a disease-free population who are then classified as exercisers and nonexercisers. After a period of time, the mortality rates of each group are compared. This design is called a(n)

Cohort Study

Additional factors that can affect the relationship between physical activity and blood cholesterol, such as smoking, body fat, and so on, are called

Confounding factors

Of the surveys frequently used for measuring physical activity in epidemiological research, the shortest (one of four (4) items) is the

Global Questionnaire

Which of the following terms is used in connection with intensity of exercise and refers to the ratio of metabolic rate during exercise to the rate while resting?

MET

Prevalence of disease differs from incidence of disease in that prevalence refers to the number of

People who presently have a disease, whereas incidence relates to new cases

Determinants of disease are often called

Risk Factors

The major weakness of epidemiological studies is

The inability to experimentally establish cause and effect