Before You Watch

What makes epidemiology a special and unique field? The presence of unique study designs. During this unit we will begin our exploration of study designs, using the broader and more general two of the five study designs. Ecological and cross-sectional study designs allow a broad scope of observations of individuals. They are efficient, and hypothesis generating. Additionally, they allow us to look at a 'snapshot' in time. These designs are usually less expensive and can be used to generate hypotheses which can be tested using other designs.

Videos

Study Tip: Download the lecture slides for taking notes and review

Key Takeaways

Review the Summary slides for each lecture to ensure you can outline the major concepts of the lectures.

Check your understanding with these questions/statements:

When might you choose to use an ecological design?

When might you choose to use a cross-sectional design?

What are some potential pitfalls (things to remember) about ecological study designs?

What are some potential pitfalls (things to remember) about cross-sectional study designs?