Section outline

  • Lecture:  Longitudinal study designs: data sources

     The goal of this lecture is to consider how alternative data sources have different strengths and weaknesses that make them (in)appropriate for a research question. It is also to familiarize you with some major categories of study design.

    Faculty:  Maria Glymour

    Location:      Mission Hall 1406

    • Session Slides:

    • slides for lecture 3 File

    • Session Audio/Video Recording (Access restricted to registered students):

    • Watch URL

    • Required Reading:

      1. Wu T. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study: Design and Objectives. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1989;129(4):687.
      2. Pagidipati and Gaziano. Estimating deaths from cardiovascular disease: a review of global methodologies of mortality measurement.  Circulation. 2013; 127:749.
      3. Pickett KE, Luo Y, Lauderdale DS. Widening social inequalities in risk for sudden infant death syndrome. American Journal of Public Health 2005;95(11): 1976.
      4. Stroud N, Mazwi TML, Case LD, et al. Prestroke physical activity and early functional status after stroke. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2009;80(9): 1019.
      5. Lee S, Colditz GA, Berkman LF, Kawachi I. Caregiving and risk of coronary heart disease in US women* 1:: A prospective study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2003;24(2): 113-9.
      6. Hauser R, Willis R. Survey design and methodology in the Health and Retirement Study and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Population and Development Review. 2004;30:209-235.  (this is a long article – skim it for key features of study design)
      7. Banks J, et al. Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and England. JAMA 2006; 295 (2037)

    •  

    • Pagidipati-749-56 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • ARIC Designv2 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Pickett Inequalities File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Hauser DesignofHRSandWLS File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Stroud PreStrokePhysAx File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Banks DiseaseUSEngland2010 File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02
    • Lee CaregivingCHD File
      Not available unless: Your ID number contains 02

    • Assignment: 

      There are a lot of readings here, but most are quite short. Throughout, the goal is to understand the research design, not the specific content of the study.  Prior to class, please post on the course website answers to the following questions:

      >Choose at least 3 distinct data sources (e.g., ARIC, HRS, death certificate data, NHS, etc), and give an example of a research question (e.g., a hypothesis about the effect of a specific exposure ona  specific outcome) you consider the study exceptionally strong to address.   For each, provide an example of a research question you consider the design very weak to address.  Explain why the data source is strong or weak for each question.  Do not just discuss the questions addressed in the readings, think of new questions, preferably things you might be interested in.  This is not supposed to be a commentary related to the substantive questions in the readings: the goal is to focus on the pros and cons of various data sources. For hypotheses each study would not be well equipped to address, if possible describe another study that could address the hypothesis.