Study Designs : Descriptive

Studies
Dr S L Jadhav
Prof
Community Medicine
Dr D Y Patil Medical College,Pune
 At the end of the session you should
be able to
• Identify the characteristics of the different
study designs
• Describe the steps in carrying out a descriptive
study
 Study Design - Background
Study Design - Definition
• The procedures and methods,
predetermined by an investigator, to be
adhered to in conducting a research
project

• Methods used to obtain valid data to

answer a research question (or
prove/refute a hypothesis)
 Did investigator assign exposures ?

Yes No

Experimental study Observational study

Random allocation ? Comparison group ?

Yes No Yes No
Randomised Non-randomised
controlled trial controlled trial Analytical Descriptive
study study

Direction ?
E O E & O at same
time
E O
Case control Cross sectional
Cohort study study study
E= Exposure; O=Outcome
 Study designs
• Observational

• Experimental
 Observational studies
• Descriptive

• Analytical
 Descriptive studies
• Case reports
• Case series
• Cross sectional surveys
• Longitudinal
 Analytical studies
• Individual data
– Cross sectional
– Case control
– Cohort
• Group data
– Ecological studies
 Descriptive studies
• 1st phase of any epidemiological investigation
• Observe distribution of disease or health
aspect in the population
• Identify characteristics with which the disease
in question seems to be associated.
 DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES
Characteristics:

• No “pre-formed hypothesis” regarding

association between Exposure & Outcome

• No comparison group

• Make suggestions / hypotheses about certain

cause and effect relationships -- to be further
tested by analytical studies
 5+1 questions

• When is the disease occurring : Time

• Where is it occurring : Place
• Who is getting the disease : person
• What is happening?
• Why does this seem to be happening?
• So What?
Descriptive studies : what they can and cannot do. Grimes D A, Shulz KF. The
Lancet.2002;339:145-9
Descriptive studies : what do you need to do?

• Defining population
• Defining the disease
• Describing the disease
– Time – epidemic curve
– Place – spot map
– Person
• Measurement of diseases
• Comparing with known indices
• Formulation of an etiological hypothesis

3/19/2024
 Defining the population
• Population base: DENOMINATOR
– Number
– Sex
– Age
– Occupation
– Hospital patients
– Cultural characteristics
• Ensure community participation
 ‘What’: DEFINING THE DISEASE UNDER STUDY
• Definition that is precise and valid
• Operational definition: spells out criteria by which
the disease can be measured
• “an inflammation of the tonsils caused by infection,
usually S Pyogenes”- clinical definition
• “Presence of enlarged red tonsils with white exudate
which on swab culture grow predominantly S
Pyogenes” – operational definition
 Characteristics frequently
examined in descriptive studies
TIME PLACE PERSON
Year. Season Climatic Age Birth order
zones
Month. Country. Sex Family size
Week Region
Day, hour of Urban / rural Marital state Height
onset Local Occupational Weight
Duration community Social status Blood pressure
Town cities Education Blood cholesterol
Institutions Personal habits
Time
Spot Map
 Why?
Clinical observation Underlying association
Blindness in newborn ↑O2 incubator
Cataracts, Heart Maternal rubella
defects, deafness
Kaposi’s sarcoma young HIV infection
men
 So What?
• What are the Public health implications?
– Is the condition a present & timely one?
– Are large no. involved
– Are its societal implications broad
 Measurement of disease
• Mortality, morbidity , disability.
• Incidence
• Prevalence
• Measurement is done by using
– Cross sectional design- photograph
– Longitudinal design- cine film
 DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES
Cross Sectional Descriptive
• Hospital / Community based

• Prevalence / Mean of a factor of interest ( with

95% CI)

• Description of a Pattern
antibiotic prescription; KAP community

• Surrogate for longitudinal descriptive studies

weight charting of children from birth till 5
years of age
 DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES
Longitudinal Descriptive
Follow up a single group of subjects over a
defined period of time
• Incidence
• Natural history of a disease
• Health related natural phenomena
• Trend of a disease
• Trend of a health related phenomena
 Results of your descriptive study
Chance observation teacher

Good Not so good Total

performance performance
Drink Badam 20 30 50
milk
Do not drink 20 80 100
badam milk
40 110 150
 Results of your descriptive study
Chance observation teacher

Good Not so good Total

performance performance
Drink Badam 20(40%) 30(60%) 50(100%)
milk
Do not drink 20(20%) 80(80%) 100(100%)
badam milk
40(26.67) 110(73.33) 150(100%)
 Descriptive study
Advantages
• Data readily available
• Few ethical issues

Limitations
• Temporal association
• Overstepping the data- eg routine electronic
foetal monitoring
 Causal association

View the totality of evidence

Case Report
 Case series

24 cases
Cross sectional study
Longitudinal study
Relative strength of various study designs
(based on level of evidence for a cause & effect
relationship)
Strength Design
Metanalysis
Strong Clinical trial
Cohort study
Case control study
Cross sectional
Case series
Weak Case report
Thank you