Reference no: EM132642679
Question 1: What epidemiologic study design would you use for each of the following investigations, In 2.4 sentences, explain why you chose that study design (think about the strengths and weaknesses) and describe how you would plan the study, including the exposure, outcome, and what you will be comparing
a) Determining the association between pre-diagnosis physical activity and development of ovarian cancer among female patients at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
b) Determining at a county level if the number of farmer's markets selling fresh produce is negatively correlated with hospitalizations for heart attack in Michigan.
c) Comparing the prevalence of clinically diagnosed high cholesterol for males versus fema'es aged 55-75 years living in Portland, Maine.
Question 2: There is a suspicion that zinc oxide, the white non-absorbent sunscreen, is more effective at preventing facial skin cancer than absorbent sunscreen lotions. We decide to conduct a case-control study to investigate if zinc oxide sunscreen is more effective as a skin cancer prevention measure than absorbent sunscreen.
For our case-control study, we recruited a group of former lifeguards that had developed cancer on their cheeks and noses (cases) and a group of former lifeguards without this type of cancer (controls). We then asked about their prior exposure to zinc oxide and absorbent sunscreen lotions.
a) Why is a case-control study a good choice to investigate the association between sunscreen type and subsequent skin cancer? Think about the strengths and weaknesses of the case-control study design
b) The research assistant that you hired to help with this study did not pay attention in his Epi class. He selects the cases from a group of former lifeguards age 30-39 years in Malibu, CA, and the controls from a group of former lifeguards age 60-69 years in Seattle, WA Identify and explain two possible ways in which he might have introduced bias into your study.