Research 428 Exam 1
Select a study design and discuss briefly one of its limitations. In other words, what should you watch out for in such study design? (Know how to sketch out and classify using a diagram the different types of study designs you have learned about so far.)
A limitation to a case series research design is that there could become a lack of generalizability. The whole purpose of a case series is to describe a group of individuals with a disease, so there needs to be generalizability.
An investigator conducts a study to determine whether there is an association between caffeine intake and Parkinson's disease. He assembles 230 incident cases of PD and samples 455 controls from the general population. After interviewing all subjects, he finds that 64 of the cases had high daily intake of caffeine (exposed) prior to diagnosis and 277 of the controls had low daily intake of caffeine (unexposed) prior to the date of the matched case's diagnosis. A. Assemble the 2x2 table for this study using the information given. B. Calculate the odds of being a case among the exposed C. Calculate the odds ratio for disease given exposure to high daily intake of caffeine (versus low daily intake of caffeine). D. What does the odds ratio indicate?
A. Cases Controls Exposed 64 178 Not Exposed 166 277 B. 64/178 = 0.36 C. (64/166) / (178/277) = 0.6 D. This odds ratio indicates that those with Parkinson's were 0.60 more likely to have had daily caffeine intake, therefore it is not associated. This means the exposure is protective.
5. A state epidemiologist wanted to investigate stomach cancer and shellfish consumption. She conducted a study with 125 stomach cancer cases and 125 controls, pair-matched on age and gender. After conducting the study, it was found that there were 35 pairs in which both cases and controls ate shellfish more than 3 times per week (exposed), and 15 pairs in which both cases and controls ate shellfish less than once per month (unexposed). There were 28 pairs where the control ate shellfish more than 3 times per week and the case rarely ate shellfish, and 47 pairs where the case ate shellfish more than 3 times per week and the control at shellfish rarely. A. Construct the appropriate 2x2 table for this study using the information given. B. Calculate the matched-pair odds ratio for stomach cancer from exposure to eating shellfish regularly compared to eating shellfish rarely. C. What does this odds ratio indicate?
A. (Controls/Cases) Exposed/Exposed: 35 Exposed/Not Exposed: 28 Not Exposed/Exposed: 47 Not Exposed/Not Exposed: 15 B. 47/28 = 1.68 C. There is a risk. Cases have a significantly higher odds of exposure than controls
Which of the following is true about case-control studies? A. A case-control study is an observational study in which subjects are sampled based upon presence or absence of disease and then their prior exposure status is determined. B. Allocation bias is associated with case-control studies. C. Misclassification bias occurs when cases and controls have different memories of the past. D. Both A & B are correct
A. A case-control study is an observational study in which subjects are sampled based upon presence or absence of disease and then their prior exposure status is determined.
Which of the following is sketched out using boxes and arrows that illustrate the various relationships that will be evaluated during the study? A. Conceptual framework B. Theoretical framework C. Experimental framework D. Perceptual framework
A. Conceptual framework
Based on our class discussion, which of the following is defined as the step in which we logically arrange and interpret the evidences found in the previous literature to form the argument that justifies the thesis statement? A. Critique the literature B. Survey the literature C. Developing the argument D. Writing the literature
A. Critique the literature
Which of the following is the first step when designing an experimental study? A. Decide on the intervention and eligibility criteria B. Define what will constitute a favorable outcome C. Decide on what control is an appropriate comparison for the intervention D. Select the method for randomizing participants to an intervention or control group
A. Decide on the intervention and eligibility criteria
Which of the following would be the first step in conducting a cross-sectional survey? A. Define a source population B. Develop a strategy for recruiting a representative sample C. Decide on methods to be used for data collection D. Describe the exposure and/or disease status in a population
A. Define a source population
Critical reading involves asking a series of questions about what aspect of a study in order to ascertain how well a particular study was designed, conducted, interpreted, and reported and to assess how likely it is that the resulting paper presents the truth about a particular research question in a particular population at a particular place and time. Which of the following does describe the previous statement? A. Internal validity B. External validity C. Specificity D.Sensitivity
A. Internal validity
What commonly used type of cross-sectional study asks participants about their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, practices, and behaviors? A. KAP survey B. Repeated cross-sectional survey C. Longitudinal cohort survey D. Meta-analytical survey
A. KAP survey
_________________ is the percentage of the population with a given trait at the time of the survey. A. Prevalence rate B. Response rate C. Morbidity rate D. Mortality rate
A. Prevalence rate
A needs assessment answers which of the following questions? A. What is the health status of this population? B. What are the threats to health in this population? C. How good are we at preventing, diagnosing, and treating health concerns in the populations in which we serve? D. Was this intervention successful at improving the health status in this population?
A. What is the health status of this population?
Writing the literature review section should follow the ˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍapproach. A. funnel B. detailed C. narrow D. broad
A. funnel
The process which begins with a question or observation and the data comes first and the explanation later refers to A. inductive study approach B. Deductive study approach C. observation D. data collection
A. inductive study approach
Randomized, controlled trials provide strong evidence that an observed effect is due to the intervention (the assigned exposure). One reason is because A. when the participants are randomized, many characteristics and possible confounding factors are likely to be evenly distributed in the groups. B. it is easier to measure the outcome variable with great precision in randomized, controlled trials compared to in other study designs. C. the exposure level and the outcome are measured at the same time. D. the study participants are volunteers and therefore motivated to take part in the study.
A. when the participants are randomized, many characteristics and possible confounding factors are likely to be evenly distributed in the groups.
Some case series follow patients for days, months, or even years. In this type of study approach, the case series functionally becomes what type of study? A. Cross-sectional study B. Cohort study C. Case-control study D. Correlational study
B. Cohort study
Which qualitative method will allow the researcher to move panelists toward agreement about priorities, best practices, and plans of action?A. Monitoring B. Delphi method C. Evaluation D. Focus group
B. Delphi method
(1)--------------- tend to be generally expressed; a (2) -----------is a specific prediction about what we will find. A. (1) Hypotheses, (2) research question B. (1) Research questions, (2) hypothesis C. (1) Null hypotheses, (2) research question D. None of the above is correct.
B. (1) Research questions, (2) hypothesis
In a matched case-control study the following information was obtained.---- B/C"200 pairs where the case is exposed and the control is not. 50 pairs where the control is exposed and the case is not. 130 pairs where cases and controls are exposed. 85 pairs where cases and controls are unexposed." What is the odds ratio for this study? A. 1.5 B. 0.25 C. 4 D. 0.65
B. 0.25
__________________briefly summarize an article or report and how it relates to the proposed new project. A. Abstracts B. Annotated bibliographies C. Methodologies D. Conclusions
B. Annotated bibliographies
According to the APA reference citation format, pick out the correct version of showing this article in a bibliography: A. Baranowski, T., Davis, M., Resnicow, K., Baranowski, J., Doyle, C., Lin, L. S., et al. (2000). Gimme 5 fruit, juice and vegetables for fun and health: Outcome evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 27, 96-111. B. Baranowski, T., Davis, M., Resnicow, K., Baranowski, J., Doyle, C., Lin, L. S., et al. (2000). Gimme 5 fruit, juice and vegetables for fun and health: Outcome evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 27, 96-111. doi: 10.1177/109019810002700109 C. Baranowski, T., Davis, M., Resnicow, K., Baranowski, J., Doyle, C., Lin, L. S., et al. (2000). Gimme 5 fruit, juice and vegetables for fun and health: Outcome evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 27, 96-111. D. Baranowski, T., Davis, M., Resnicow, K., Baranowski, J., Doyle, C., Lin, L. S., et al. (2000). Gimme 5 fruit, juice and vegetables for fun and health: Outcome evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 27.
B. Baranowski, T., Davis, M., Resnicow, K., Baranowski, J., Doyle, C., Lin, L. S., et al. (2000). Gimme 5 fruit, juice and vegetables for fun and health: Outcome evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 27, 96-111. doi: 10.1177/109019810002700109
What type of randomization randomly assigns groups of people to an intervention group and other groups of people to a control group? A. Cluster randomization B. Block randomization C. Stratified randomization D. Cluster randomization
B. Block randomization
Which of the following is true about randomization in experimental studies in sport and health sciences? A. It can reduce selection bias due to using a non-representative sample B. It can minimize allocation bias C. It can remove recall bias D. It can minimize information bias
B. It can minimize allocation bias
What is a limitation of systematic review (Tertiary studies)? A. It is too hard to do. B. Lack of access to resources to acquire all needed articles. C. The research cannot be defined into the impact of a single variable. D. Both B & C are correct.
B. Lack of access to resources to acquire all needed articles.
Which of the following, related to the candidate question, will assist the researcher in determining what is already known about the topic and what new information a new study could contribute? A. Meta-analysis B. Literature review C. Questionnaires D. Concept mapping
B. Literature review
Which database is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and features only journals that have applied for inclusion and passed through a review process? A. LILACS B. MEDLINE C. SciELO D. EBSCO
B. MEDLINE
If the goal of the study is to understand populations, to describe patterns, or to ask research questions that are not focused on causality, what is likely the only suitable study design? A. Systematic review B. Observational design C. Meta-analysis D. Experimental design
B. Observational design
Secondary data collection might become labor intensive if which of the following have to be retrieved, read, coded, and entered into a database? A. Questionnaires B. Old hospital charts C. Full-text journal articles D. Abstracts
B. Old hospital charts
27. When the entire 95% confidence interval is less than 1, the odds ratio is statistically significant, and the exposure is deemed to beˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍin the study population. A. Risky B. Protective C. neither risky nor protective D. risky or protective
B. Protective
The timeline for what type of study might be very short if an entire data file and the relevant supporting documentation can be downloaded from a website? A. Primary study B. Secondary study C. Tertiary study D. Quaternary study
B. Secondary study
_____________is the number of new cases of disease in a population during a specified period of time divided by the total number of persons in the population who were at risk during that period. A. The attributable risk B. The incidence rate C. The excess risk D. The incidence rate ratio
B. The incidence rate
A_______________________ describes a group of individuals with the same disease or who have undergone the same procedure. A. case control study B. case series study C. longitudinal cohort study D. retrospective cohort study
B. case series study
A_______________________ is based on extensive reviews of the published literature and can inform the components and flow of a conceptual framework of a new study. A. review of literature B. theoretical framework C. Study goal D. hypothesis
B. theoretical framework
How does a retrospective cohort study differ from a case-control study? Suppose you are investigating the possibility of an environmentally-linked cancer among students at a university. How would the sample selected for a case-control study differ from those included in a retrospective cohort study?
Both types of studies identify present cases and non-cases. The case-control study identifies the cases and then selects appropriate controls. An entire cohort is not used. If you were investigating an environmentally-related cancer among university students with a case-control study, you would identify students within certain years who met the case definition for the cancer. You would select controls among students who were not a case of cancer, but matched on characteristics such as age, gender and graduation year, then determine their exposure status (perhaps proximity of their campus address to the identified toxin) and compare exposures between cases and non-cases. A retrospective cohort study uses the entire cohort; all cases and non-cases within the identified group. A retrospective cohort design might designate the cohort to be students enrolled at the university over a 5 year time span. The present case status of all these students is determined and historical data about their exposure status accessed, in order to assess the relationship between being a case of the cancer with the exposure.
Consider the following information from a cohort study about coronary heart disease (CHD). What is the attributable risk %? (Table is under #50 on PDF study guide) A. 17.4% B. 10.6% C. 37.9% D. 49%
C. 37.9%
In an outbreak of tuberculosis among prison inmates in South Carolina in 1999, 28 of 158 inmates residing on the East wing of the dormitory developed tuberculosis, compared with 4 of 136 inmates residing on the West wing. These data are summarized in the following table. In this example, the risk ratio was________________ A. 0.17 B. 0.15 C. 6.10 D. 0.03
C. 6.10
To be original a study must be: A. Radically different from previous research B. Conducted with a sample that has never been studied before C. Addressing a gap in the existing research literature D. All of the above are correct.
C. Addressing a gap in the existing research literature
At what point should the researcher identify three or more specific objectives that stem from the main study goal? A. Prior to the literature review B. After completion of the abstract C. After finalizing the overarching study goal D. Prior to development of a conceptual model
C. After finalizing the overarching study goal
In a cohort study, the risk ratio of developing diabetes was 0.86 when comparing consumers of tea (the exposed) to those who did not drink tea (the unexposed). If the 95 % confidence interval is (0.70, 1.06), which one statement is correct? A. The tea drinkers have lower risk of developing diabetes. B. The tea drinkers have higher risk of developing diabetes. C. Based on the information given we cannot tell if the observed difference in disease risk resulted in diabetes. D. The risk ratio is close to the value one, so there is no difference in disease risk between the two groups.
C. Based on the information given we cannot tell if the observed difference in disease risk resulted in diabetes.
A researcher assesses a random sample of residents by telephone questionnaire. Obesity is strongly associated with diagnosed diabetes. This study design is best described as which one of the following: A. Case-control B. Cohort C. Cross-sectional D. Experimental
C. Cross-sectional
What type of studies seek to recruit a study population that is representative of a well- defined larger population? A. Case-control studies B. Case series C. Cross-sectional studies D. Meta-analysis
C. Cross-sectional studies
Which of the following statements is true about qualitative studies? A. Researchers use open-ended questions B. Random sampling technique is used C. Data collection techniques are either unstructured or semi-structured
C. Data collection techniques are either unstructured or semi-structured
Longitudinal studies use what type of population in which all participants start the study at the same time and no one is permitted to join later? A. Open population B. Limited population C. Fixed population D. Dynamic population
C. Fixed population
Which of the following is a key characteristic to watch out for when performing a case series study? A. Lack of specificity B. Lack of sensitivity C. Lack of generalizability D. Lack of validity
C. Lack of generalizability
Which of the following is a case-control study? A. Analysis of previous research in different places and under different circumstances to permit establishment of a hypothesis based on cumulative knowledge of all known factors identified in the disease under study. B. Study collecting information from individuals to measure prevalence at one point in time C. Obtaining histories and other information from a group of people with a particular disease or condition and from a group without the disease to determine the relative frequency of a past exposure under study. D. Study of average exposure for a group and a population measure of outcome.
C. Obtaining histories and other information from a group of people with a particular disease or condition and from a group without the disease to determine the relative frequency of a past exposure under study.
Which of the following examines where a new test is good at predicting the presence of disease? A. Positive predictive value B. Negative predictive value C. Positive likelihood ratio test D. Negative likelihood ratio test
C. Positive likelihood ratio test
What type of study revolves around a thorough review of existing literature? A. Primary study B. Secondary study C. Tertiary study D. Quaternary study
C. Tertiary study
Usually, what is the goal of any single research project? A. To accomplish something no one else has B. To uncover a cure or a treatment C. To answer one well-defined question D. To raise awareness of a particular medical condition
C. To answer one well-defined question
How might qualitative research facilitate quantitative research? A. By helping with the design and implementation of a quantitative study. B. By assisting with the interpretation of the results. C. By helping with the design of survey questions. D. All of the above are correct.
D. All of the above are correct.
The flexibility and limited structure of qualitative research designs is an advantage because: A. The researcher does not impose any predetermined formats on how members of a particular group of participants see their world. B. It allows for unexpected results to emerge from the data. C. The researcher can adapt their theories and methods as the project unfolds. D. All of the above are correct.
D. All of the above are correct.
Which of the following can be classified as an exposure? A. Marital status B. Dietary practices C. Exercise habits D. All of the above are correct.
D. All of the above are correct.
Which of the following is true about blinding in experimental studies? A. Blinding is usually possible only when all participants are assigned to similar exposures. B. Blinding prevents observer bias C. Blinding minimizes the information bias that can occur if participants or assessors are able to evaluate outcomes differently based on the results they expect for an exposure. D. All of the above are correct.
D. All of the above are correct.
_________________occurs when participants in an experimental study and perhaps some research team members do not know whether a participant is in the active intervention group or the control group. A. Randomization B. Allocation bias C. Blocking D. Blinding
D. Blinding
Which of the following is true about a case-series study? A. The objective is to describe a group of individuals with a disease B. Odds ratio is the type of analysis used C. One of the steps is to assign a case definition D. Both A & C are correct
D. Both A & C are correct
Which of the following statements about exposures is true? A. An exposed individual has a greater risk of disease. B. Dietary intake is not an 'exposure' because individuals make a choice about what they eat. C. High body mass index is a risk factor for a range of health conditions, therefore, it cannot be treated as a single exposure. D. Exposure refers to contact with some factor that may be harmful or beneficial to health.
D. Exposure refers to contact with some factor that may be harmful or beneficial to health.
An advantage of an interview over a questionnaire may be A. It provides more structured data. B. The time taken is generally shorter for interviews. C. It is easier to analyze. D. It allows trust and rapport between the researcher and participants to be developed.
D. It allows trust and rapport between the researcher and participants to be developed.
Participants of what kind of study are recruited based on membership in a well-defined source population? A. Historic cohort study B. Retrospective cohort study C. Prospective cohort study D. Longitudinal cohort study
D. Longitudinal cohort study
What type of experimental study would aim to demonstrate the intervention is not worse than the control? A. Superiority trial B. Inferiority Trial C. Equivalence Trials. D. Non-inferiority trial
D. Non-inferiority trial
Prevalence rate isˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍ A. the percentage of the population with a given exposure/disease. B. the proportion of incident cases among the exposed participants that are due to the exposure. C. the absolute difference in the incidence rate. D. None of the above is correct.
D. None of the above is correct.
What type of study design should be used to investigate an exposure that is relatively uncommon but a source of exposed individuals is available? A. Time-series study B. Panel study C. Longitudinal cohort study D. Prospective cohort study
D. Prospective cohort study
An insurance company wants to study whether offering incentives for preventative care reduces overall health care costs. They select a random sample of 200 of their customers. Half of the smokers are randomly assigned to be offered the incentive, and the other half are assigned to the control group. The same method is used to randomly assign half of the nonsmokers to the treatment group and half to the control group. The type of experiment design in this example is_________________ A. Cluster B. Matched pair X C. Completely randomized design D. Randomized block design
D. Randomized block design
A study was conducted to assess the relationship between osteoporosis (weak bones) and a family history of osteoporosis. 100 athletes with osteoporosis provided family history information. 5 of these athletes had a family history of osteoporosis. 1000 athletes without osteoporosis also provided family history information. 20 of these athletes had a family history of osteoporosis. A. If family history of osteoporosis is being considered as a screening tool for osteoporosis, compute sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for this scenario. Be specific and interpret your results.
TP = 5; TN = 95; FN = 980; FP = 20 Sensitivity = TP/(TP+FN) = 5/(5+980) = .005 =.5% Specificity = TN/(TN+FP) = 95/(95+20) = 0.83 = 83% Positive Predictive Value = TP/(TP + FP) = 5/(5+20) = 0.20 = 20% Negative Predictive Value = TN/(TN + FN) = 95/(95 + 980) = 0.09 = 9%
A study was conducted to assess the relationship between osteoporosis (weak bones) and a family history of osteoporosis. 100 athletes with osteoporosis provided family history information. 5 of these athletes had a family history of osteoporosis. 1000 athletes without osteoporosis also provided family history information. 20 of these athletes had a family history of osteoporosis. Examine whether this new screening tool is good at predicting the presence of osteoporosis. Based on your result, can you consider this is a good screening tool? (Sensitivity = .5%; Specificity = 83%; PPV = 20%; NPV = 9%)
This screening tool is in fact terrible at predicting the presence of osteoporosis. The only value that is even remotely close to 100% is specificity at 83%.