Research Methods

Research Methods

Prospective Cohort Study

The report was not an intervention study because it did not involve testing a hypothesized epidemiological cause-effect relationship by intervening in a population and modifying a supposed causal factor and measuring the effect of the change. Instead, the report was a prospective cohort study which research effort follows over time groups of individuals who are similar in some respects (e.g., all are in a 172484-member health maintenance organization) but differ on certain other characteristics (e.g., tobacco use and comorbidities) and compares them for a particular outcome (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). The study identified factors that ...