Question:
A researcher wanted to prove the relation between COPD and smoking. He collected patient records from government hospitals and records of cigarette sales from the finance and taxation department. This is an example of which study design?
A researcher wanted to prove the relation between COPD and smoking. He collected patient records from government hospitals and records of cigarette sales from the finance and taxation department. This is an example of which study design?
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The data are at population level, not on individual patients.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Cross-sectional study
- Posological study
- Ecological study
- Operations research
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The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Look at the unit of observation. The researcher does not have data on individual smokers and individual COPD patients. He has aggregate data: total cigarette sales from the taxation department and total COPD cases from hospital records.
Step 2: A study that links a group-level exposure measure to a group-level outcome measure, without information on individuals, is an ecological study. It is observational and uses the population as the unit of analysis.
Step 3: Why the others fail. A cross-sectional study measures exposure and outcome together in the same individuals at one point in time. Operations research evaluates how a health programme is run to improve efficiency. Posological study deals with drug dosage. None fits aggregate exposure linked to aggregate outcome.
So the answer is ecological study. Ref: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 24e.
Step 2: A study that links a group-level exposure measure to a group-level outcome measure, without information on individuals, is an ecological study. It is observational and uses the population as the unit of analysis.
Step 3: Why the others fail. A cross-sectional study measures exposure and outcome together in the same individuals at one point in time. Operations research evaluates how a health programme is run to improve efficiency. Posological study deals with drug dosage. None fits aggregate exposure linked to aggregate outcome.
So the answer is ecological study. Ref: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 24e.
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