Surveys, longitudinal, cross-sectional and trend studies
Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion, Keith Morrison in Research Methods in Education, 2017
A cross-sectional study is one that produces a ‘snapshot’ of a population at one particular point in time. The epitome of the cross-sectional study is a national survey in which a representative sample of the population consisting of individuals of different ages, different occupations, different educational and income levels, and residing in different parts of the country, is interviewed on the same day. In education, cross-sectional studies can involve indirect measures of the nature and rate of changes in the physical and intellectual development of samples of children drawn from representative age levels. The single ‘snapshot’ of the cross-sectional study provides researchers with data for either a retrospective or a prospective enquiry. A cross-sectional study can also bear several hallmarks of a longitudinal study of parallel groups (e.g. age groups) which are drawn simultaneously from the population. For example, drawing students aged five, seven, nine and eleven at a single point in time would bear some characteristics of a longitudinal study in that developments over age groups could be seen, though, of course, it would not have the same weight as a longitudinal study conducted on the same age group over time. This is the case for international studies of educational achievement, requiring samples to be drawn from the same population (Lietz and Keeves, 1997, p. 122) and for factors that might influence changes in the dependent variables to remain constant across the age groups. Cross-sectional studies, catching a frozen moment in time, may be ineffective for studying change or causality. If changes are to be addressed through cross-sectional surveys, then this suggests the need for repeated applications of the survey, or the use of trend analysis. The main types of longitudinal study are illustrated in Figure 17.2.
Critical appraisal of cross-sectional surveys
O. Ajetunmobi in Making Sense of Critical Appraisal, 2021
Cross-sectional studies are observational types of studies in which the prevalence of a trait or disease condition is measured by snapshot assessments across a given population. Compare this to randomized clinical trials (RCTs), which test hypotheses on the treatment of disease, or prospective and retrospective studies, which test hypotheses on the aetiology of disease. Prevalence and incidence rates are described in more detail in the ‘glossary of terms’ at the end of the book. Because subjects are not followed up in time, cross-sectional surveys are poor at measuring the rates of occurrence of new cases of a disease in the population, that is, ‘incidence rates’ but they can be used to measure prevalence rates of disease.
Observational Studies
Abhaya Indrayan in Research Methods for Medical Graduates, 2019
The cross-sectional format is rarely used for an analytical study because it fails to provide a good assessment of cause–effect types of relationships. However, it is suitable when it is not clear what the antecedent and what the outcome is. In the case of peptic ulcer and milk consumption, either could be a cause of the other. A cross-sectional study is a good tool to generate a hypothesis, which can be subsequently tested by a case–control or a prospective study. A cross-sectional study is certainly good as a descriptive study. It is quick and easy to complete. It starts with a reference population, so generalization is immediate when based on a genuine random sample. Repeated cross-sectional studies are good for detecting changes in known risk factors besides, of course, the time trend of the disease. As explained later in Chapter 7, it is often helpful to obtain sensitivity–specificity or predictivities of a test procedure as indicators of its validity. The former requires a case–control study and the latter a prospective study. Sometimes a cross-sectional study is used to calculate both types of indices. When the subjects are representative of the target population, the percentage of subjects with disease and without disease would be nearly the same as in the target population. The test positives and test negatives would also be in the representative proportion, but they will be prevalent cases and not incident cases, nor “incidence” of antecedents. As explained in a later chapter, prevalence may be in proportion to incidence under stable conditions.
Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of Internet Sex Screening Test in Iranian Medical Students
Published in Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 2019
Mohammadreza Shalbafan, Mohammadreza Najarzadegan, Shiva Soraya, Vahid Rashedi, Ruohollah Najafian, Hamidreza Ahmadkhaniha, Ruohollah Seddigh, Morteza Hassanzadeh, Vahid Saeedi, Leila Kamalzadeh
This study investigated the cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Persian version of Internet Sex Screening Test (P-ISST). In this cross-sectional study, 97 medical students were included. Content and face validity of the questionnaire were established by experts. The item-level content validity index ranged from 0.83 to 1.0. Internal consistency for the P-ISST total score (α = 0.923) was acceptable. Except for the “Online sexual spending” subscale, the Cronbach’s alpha values for subscales fell between 0.7 and 0.9. This instrument can be used as an easily administered screening tool for assessment of online sexual activities in university students.
Substance use among students in Thailand
Published in Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2019
Pimpisa Chomsri, Apinun Aramrattana, Penprapa Siviroj, Surinporn Likhitsathian
This study explored substance use prevalence, level of risk, and associated factors, especially related to binge drinking. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 students using questionnaires and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test—Youth screening tool. The associations between binge drinking and risk factors were analyzed by generalized linear models. Our results showed current prevalence rates of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs use were 56.9%, 22.9%, and 2.3%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that being a binge drinker was significantly associated with low self-efficacy, high sensation seeking, moderate to high smoking risk, and low grade point average.
Shift work and serum 25-OH vitamin D status among factory workers in Northern Italy: Cross-sectional study
Published in Chronobiology International, 2015
Alessandro Romano, Luisella Vigna, Valentina Belluigi, Diana Misaela Conti, Claudia Eleonora Barberi, Laura Tomaino, Dario Consonni, Luciano Riboldi, Amedea Silvia Tirelli, Lars Louis Andersen
Low levels of vitamin D are related to muscle weakness, poor balance, and higher risk of falls, and can therefore have a major impact on performance and safety at work. Little knowledge exists on the association between work environment and vitamin D status. This study evaluates vitamin D status in shift workers. In this cross-sectional study, led during early springtime, 96 male shift workers at an engineering factory in Northern Italy, and 100 male daily workers operating nearby, participated. 25-OH vitamin D concentration, anthropometric indexes, fasting glycemia and triglycerides were detected. 51 shift workers underwent anamnesis collection on lifestyle and habits and determination of heel bone mineral density. Vitamin D levels were lower in shift workers than daily ones (13.4 ± 5.3 ng/mL versus 21.9 ± 10.7 ng/mL, p
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- Cohort Studies
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- Control Studies
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