How Are Scales Applied in Epidemiological Studies?
In epidemiological research, scales are employed to measure various phenomena such as disease prevalence, risk factors, and health outcomes. For example:
- Nominal scales are used for classifying cases and controls in case-control studies. - Ordinal scales can measure the severity of symptoms or patient-reported outcomes. - Interval and ratio scales are indispensable for assessing continuous variables like blood pressure, glucose levels, and body mass index (BMI).