Study Design III: Cross-Sectional Studies: Toolbox
Study Design III: Cross-Sectional Studies: Toolbox
Study Design III: Cross-Sectional Studies: Toolbox
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TOOLBOX
more likely to be in their home during not have the outcome of interest, but it is Disadvantages of cross-sectional studies
the day. These two groups are also more also important to maintain optimum Difficult to make causal inference;
likely to experience higher levels of response levels. Associations between Only a snapshot: the situation may
disease, therefore biasing the results. outcomes and exposures of long duration provide differing results if another time-
are particularly difficult to establish using frame had been chosen;
Measures of outcome and exposure cross-sectional studies. Prevalence-incidence bias (also called
Neyman bias). Especially in the case of
A lot of information can be collected longer-lasting diseases, any risk factor that
about potential risk factors in a cross- Advantages of cross-sectional studies results in death will be under-represented
sectional study. Loss to follow-up is a Relatively inexpensive and takes up little among those with the disease.
common concern in longitudinal studies time to conduct;
and one of the strategies used to over- Can estimate prevalence of outcome of Recommended reading
come this is to minimise the amount of interest because sample is usually taken
from the whole population;
information collected. This is not a 1. Bland M. An Introduction to Medical Statistics. 3rd
problem in cross-sectional study design.
Many outcomes and risk factors can be Edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001.
assessed; 2. Pine CM, Pitts NB, Nugent ZJ. British Association
It is advisable to think carefully about Useful for public health planning, under- for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD)
what might be relevant because this is a guidance on sampling for surveys of child dental
standing disease aetiology and for the health. A BASCD coordinated dental epidemiology
good opportunity to gain a broad base of generation of hypotheses; programme quality standard. Commun Dent
knowledge about subjects who have/do There is no loss to follow-up. Health 1997; 14(Suppl 1):S10–S17.
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