Epiville

Quizzes

Quiz 1, Module Cohort

1. Based on the facts as presented, which do you think is the best hypothesis to investigate in this retrospective cohort study?

  1. Those who develop Susser Syndrome are more likely to have participated in the manufacturing of SUPERCLEAN than those who did not develop Susser Syndrome.
  2. Those who are exposed to chemicals involved in the production of SUPERCLEAN (via direct exposure at the factory) have a higher risk of developing Susser Syndrome than those who are not exposed.
  3. Residents of Epiville have a higher risk of developing Susser Syndrome compared with the residents of a neighboring community.
Answer (a) — incorrect: The proposed hypothesis implies the comparison of exposure states between diseased and non-diseased individuals. This comparison is appropriate for a case-control study. A cohort study is designed to compare outcomes between exposed and non-exposed groups. In doing so, one is able to estimate the risk of disease development.
Answer (b) — correct: This hypothesis is correct because it specifies 1) the exposure of interest, 2) those who are considered exposed and unexposed, 3) the outcome of interest, and 4) a hypothesized direction for the outcome (i.e., exposed at higher risk).
Answer (c) — incorrect: This hypothesis is too general. Findings of a study based on this hypothesis would do little to elucidate the cause of the current Susser Syndrome outbreak.