A cohort study is referred to as a medical type of research that studies the cause of an illness and explores connections between risk factors and health outcomes. As the word cohort implies a group of people, the type of study focuses on a group of individuals (MacGill, 2018). Moreover, it should be noted that cohort studies observe a relatively large group of people. This type of medical research can be prospective and retrospective, implying that perspective concentrates on the future, and retrospective relies on data that already exist and can be gathered. Cohort studies are described as observational, as they look at a particular disease and its causes over a long period.
An Example of a Cohort Study
For the current paper, a cohort study on tobacco use from the “2020 LHI Topics” on the Healthy People 2020 website was chosen (the link can be found in the “references” section at the end of the paper). The research focused on people who use tobacco daily. The cohort study is retrospective, as it concentrated on the existed data on the U. S. smokers 18 years old and over between 2008 and 2017 (“Tobacco,” n. d.). The study has demonstrated that the adult smokers’ rate has decreased between 2008 and 2017, from 20% to 14%. Moreover, the research has shown fewer women aged 18 years and over smoke compared to men (12% versus 16%). Furthermore, it is interesting to note that fewer adults born outside of the U. S. smoke (7%) than those born in the country (15%). Additionally, adults with disabilities have a higher rate of smokers than adults without disabilities: 24% and 12%, respectively (“Tobacco,” n. d.). It should be noted that in the current paper, the major outcomes of the research were described.
References
MacGill, M. (2018). What is a cohort study in medical research? Medical News Today.
Tobacco. (n. d.).