Observational Study Design Depending on the circumstances, a suspected association between a risk factor and a particular outcome can be evaluated using a variety of study designs. Studies may be either observational or analytic. This week you were introduced to important observational study designs used in epidemiology.

To prepare for this Application Assignment, identify an epidemiologic association of interest (e.g., smoking and lung cancer, obesity and heart disease, hormonal therapy and breast cancer).

To complete this Application Assignment, write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you describe how you would investigate the association in question using different observational study designs, including the following: Cross-sectional (may be descriptive or analytic) Case-control Cohort For each scenario, specify the study design and identify the advantages and disadvantages of that study design.

Identify, where appropriate, the population(s) being studied, the exposure(s) and outcome(s) of interest, the length of follow-up (in cohort studies), the type of control (in case control studies) the method(s) of ascertainment for exposures and outcomes, and other factors you feel may be relevant to the proposed studies.

You may want to refer to the STROBE statement in the Required Resources (von Elm, et al.) for relevant items to address in reports of observational studies.

Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate.

Refer to the Pocket Guide to APA Style to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct.