The Cohort Study – Watchful Waiting

Chapter

The cohort study, a natural and straight-forward approach to medical research offers investigators another tool to evaluate medical treatments. All sorts of heath data are collected on a set of people who are then followed to see what happens to them over time. Background data on participants who develop a disease are compared to those without the disease in hopes of findings what may be the cause of the ailment. Two successful major cohort studies, the Framingham Heart Study and the Nurses Health Study are described so readers can appreciate the cohort technique. Disadvantages such as cost and possible bias because of participant dropouts are also covered.

Keywords

Cohort study Framingham Heart Study Nurses Health Study prospective research retrospective research 
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Chapter 3 — The Cohort Study

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