What are the Key Components of Analytical Studies?
Analytical studies aim to identify and quantify the relationships between exposures and health outcomes.
- Cohort Studies: These studies follow a group of people over time to see who develops the disease and who does not. They can be prospective or retrospective. - Case-Control Studies: These studies compare individuals with a disease (cases) to those without the disease (controls) to identify potential risk factors. - Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs): These are experimental studies where participants are randomly assigned to receive either the intervention or a placebo. RCTs are considered the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.
