Epidemiology And Statistics

Exercise 5.3: Journal Article Analysis – 65 Points

Getting Started

 

Directions:   Read the article. Then, respond to each question in one or two sentences (5   points each –  0 if skipped, 3 if   reasonable attempt but inaccurate or missed the point of the question; 4 if   basically correct but with something erroneous, 5 if fully correct)

 

Question &   Answer

Points

 

1. What public health problem is the study described in   this article attempting to address?

/5

 

2. What is the research hypothesis that this study aims   to test?

/5

 

3. What type of epidemiologic study is this?

/5

 

4. What is the independent variable in this study?

/5

 

5. What is the (primary) dependent variable in this   study?

/5

 

6. How were cases of brain cancer ascertained in this   study?

/5

 

7. What broader population do you believe the sample of   cases   represents? (this will determine the   population to which the results of the study can ultimately be generalized)

/5

 

8. What exclusion criteria were used?

/5

 

9. What kind of comparison group was used in this   study? How were they selected? Of what   broader population is this group intended to be   representative?

/5

 

10. What measure of association was calculated in this   study? What statistical test was used   to test its significance?

/5

 

11. What did the study find?

/5

 

12. What practical application do the results of this   study have for clinical care of patients?

/5

 

13. What practical application do the results of this   study have for public health policy in Canadian provinces?

/5

 

Total

/65