Introduction to Epidemiology 6th Edition by Ray M Merrill

Exercise 13

In your own words, interpret the results of the New Jersey case-control study.

Step 1 of 4

In the given case study, a cyclosporiasis outbreak was reported in New Jersey. The affected individuals did not have any common places or events that they attended. The affected individuals also did not belong to a well-defined or distinct group of individuals. In such a case, a cohort study is not carried out as there is no common source of exposure that could be investigated.

Hence, in this type of situation, a case-control study is more reliable because a long period of follow-up is not needed. The comparisons between affected and healthy individuals that have similar age and underlying health problems and those residing in a common region could be done. This facilitates the identification of the source of infection and the severity among those who are infected.