Clinically Relevant Examples
Below is a list of examples from ActivEpi Web that consider research studies about clinically
relevant health problems:
| Example |
Lesson #
|
Epi Topic
|
|---|---|---|
|
Nurses Health Study
|
2
|
Overview of Epi
|
|
Bogalusa Legionnaires’s disease outbreak
|
2
|
Overview of Epi
|
|
Rotterdam Study on Alzheimer’s disease
|
2, 3
|
Overview of Epi |
|
3
|
Epi Study Designs (Cohort Study)
|
|
|
Clinical Trial on Insulin Therapy
|
3
|
Epi Study Designs
|
|
Visual Display Terminals and risk for spontaneous abortion
|
3
|
Epi Study Designs (Cohort Study)
|
|
Reye’s Syndrome and aspirin |
3
|
Epi Study Designs (Case-control study)
|
|
15
|
Matching (individual category matching) |
|
|
Risk factors for Creutzfeld- Jacob disease (CJD)
|
3
|
Epi Study Designs (Case-control study)
|
|
Cigarette Smoking and Peripheral Vascular Disease
|
3
|
Epi Study Designs (Cross-sectional study)
|
Parkinson’s disease rate in Rotterdam Study |
4
|
Measures of Disease Frequency (incidence rate) |
Smoking and lung cancer |
5
|
Measures of Effect (risk ratio, odds ratio) |
Quit smoking and CHD survival |
5
|
Measures of Effect, Potential Impact (risk ratio) |
|
6
|
Potential Impact (risk difference, etiologic fraction) |
|
|
12
|
Simple Analysis (statistical inference) |
|
| CDC study of foodborne outbreak at resort in Haiti |
5
|
Measures of Effect (exposure odds ratio) |
|
12
|
Simple Analyis (statistical inference) |
|
Personality type and CHD prevalence |
5
|
Measure of Effect (prevalence odds ratio) |
|
13
|
Control of Variables (options for control) |
|
Genetic factors and risk of bone fractures from osteoporosis in Rotterdam study |
5
|
Measures of Effect (risk ratio vs. odds ratio) |
Borderline cholesterol and mortality rate in Chicago study |
5
|
Measures of Effect (rate ratio) |
|
6
|
Potential Impact (rate difference, etiologic fraction) |
|
|
12
|
Simple Analysis (statistical inference) |
| Example |
Lesson #
|
Epi Topic
|
|---|---|---|
B-antagonist or diuretic treatment for mild hypertension and risk for stroke in British Med. Res Council study |
6
|
Potential Impact (number needed to treat) |
Subclinical hypthyroidism and incidence of MI in Rotterdam study |
6
|
Potential Impact (etiologic fraction) |
Measles vaccination and incidence of measles in Texarkana study |
6
|
Potential Impact (prevented fraction) |
Smoking and bone cancer in hospital –based study |
7
|
Validity (Berkson’s selection bias) |
Health effects of Agent Orange Exposure in Vietnam War veterans |
7
|
Validity (Information bias) |
L-tryptophan supplements and EMS |
8
|
Selection Bias (preferential diagnosis) |
Estrogen use and Endometrial cancer |
8
|
Selection Bias (choice of controls) |
|
15
|
Matching (pair matching, McNemar analysis, logistic regression) |
|
Condom usage and STD prevention |
9
|
Selection Bias (choice of controls) |
Diagnosing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) using ultrasound |
9
|
Information bias (diagnostic testing, predictive value) |
Toxic chemical exposure and lung cancer risk |
10
|
Confounding (risk ratio, by smoking) |
|
14
|
Stratified Analysis (Mantel-Haenszel test. adjusted risk ratio) |
|
Alcohol consumption and oral cancer |
10
|
Confounding (odds ratio, by age) |
|
14
|
Stratified Analysis (adjusted odds ratio) |
|
Alcohol consumption and bladder cancer |
10
|
Confounding (odds ratio, by race) |
Atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease in Rotterdam study |
10
|
Confounding (odds ratio, by genetic make-up) |
Diabetes Mellitus and CHD risk |
13
|
Controlling Variables (logistic model, risk prediction) |
Antibiotic resistance- Risk factors for MRSA in Atlanta hospital study |
14
|
Stratified analysis (stratum-specific analyes) |
Obesity and all-cause mortality |
14
|
Stratified analysis (person-time data) |
Cholesterol level and CHD risk in Evans County study |
14
|
14 Stratified analysis (3 exposure catergories, logistic Regression) |
History of abortion and tubal pregnancy |
15
|
Matching (R-to-1 matched analysis) |
Job assignment and chronic back pain |
15
|
Matching (Analysis of frequency matched data) |
Dr Kleinbaum (CDC/EIS) comedy skit