Cohort Studies

A cohort study is a study design where one or more people (called cohorts) are followed. Subsequent status evaluations concerning a disease or outcome are conducted to determine which participants’ exposure characteristics (risk factors) are associated. As the study is conducted, the outcome from participants in each cohort is measured, and relationships with specific characteristics are determined.

Cohort Study facts:

  • Cohort studies usually observe large groups of individuals and record their exposure to certain risk factors to find clues about the possible causes of disease.
  • They can be prospective studies that gather data going forward or retrospective cohort studies, which look at data already collected.
  • This type of research can also help identify social factors that influence health.

The fundamentals of a cohort study are:

a. Identify people who are free of disease at the beginning of study
b. Assemble cohorts of exposed and unexposed individuals
c. Follow cohorts for the development of incident outcomes
d. Compare the risks of incident outcomes in each cohort

Advantages

  • Cheaper & easier than a randomized controlled trial (RCT)
  • Standardization of criteria/outcome is possible
  • Subjects can be matched, which limits the influence of confounding variables.

Disadvantages

  • Cohorts can be difficult to identify from confounding variables
  • No randomization, which means that imbalances could exist
  • Blinding/Masking is difficult
  • The outcome of interest can take a long time to occur

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

phone: 915-850-0900

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

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