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Practice Exam 1 Research Methods HLSC 3910U Dr. Wally J.

Bartfay 2013
PRACTICE EXAM 1 : HLSC 3910UResearch Methods for Health Care Professionals: Theory & Application Dr. Wally J. Bartfay

PART 1- MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION: Circle the best response Research study related to alcohol consumption and stroke: An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (1999, vol. 341, pp. 1557-1564) related to the Physicians Health Study reported that subjects who regularly consumed some alcohol in this observational study might have a reduced risk of developing stroke. Specifically, the article reported: Compared with participants who had less than one drink per week, those who drank more had a reduced overall risk of stroke (relative risk, 0.79; 95% confident interval, 0.66 to 0.94). 1. What can you conclude from this investigation related to the consumption of alcohol and the risk of developing a stroke in terms of the reported relative risk, confidence internal and the overall nature of the study? (i) This study provides moderate to strong evidence that individuals who consume at least one drink per week have a significant reduced overall risk of stroke because the relative risk is 0.79. (ii) Regular alcohol drinking seems to correspond to a reduction in the incidence of stroke. However, since the upper endpoint of the confidence interval is 0.94, the population relative risk would be expected to be closer to 1.0. So the effect of drinking might be weak in fact. (iii) Another reason to be cautious is that it was an observational study, rather than a randomized clinical trial. Hence, the researchers did not randomly assign half of the subjects to alcohol vs. a placebo. (iv) The conclusion reached by the researcher does not clinically imply that it is a good practice to drink a lot of alcohol every day to prevent the occurrence of a stroke. Answer choices (please circle): (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (i) and (iii) (i), (iii) and (iv) (ii) and (iii) (ii), (iii) and (iv) (ii) only

Research study related to pesticide residues in food sources: A growing number of studies have linked pesticide use, both residential and commercial to increased risk of developing various disorders and diseases, including respiratory disorders, neurological birth defects and cancer. A study was conducted to monitor and assess foods for pesticide residues before being distributed for public sale and consumption. The table below shows the frequencies of foods for all possible category combinations of the two variables, food type and pesticide status (Source: adopted from Food Additives and Contaminants, 2002, vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 427-446).

Practice Exam 1 Research Methods HLSC 3910U Dr. Wally J. Bartfay 2013

Food type Organically grown Conventional grown Total

Pesticide present 29 19485 19514

Pesticide not present 98 7086 7184

Total 127 26571 26698

Note: The row totals and the columns are the frequencies for the categories of each variable. The counts inside the table gives information about the association.

2. How would a researcher determine / calculate the proportion of foods that have pesticides present for the organically grown foods shown in the table above? (a) (b) (c) (d) The proportion of organic foods that contain pesticides is 29/127 The proportion of organic food that contain pesticides is 29/19514 The proportion of organic foods that contain pesticides is 29/ 26698 The proportion of organic foods that contain pesticides is 19514-29/26698

Comparison of studies examining cell phone use and cancer: Study A: A study conducted in Germany by Stang et al., (2001) compared 118 patients with a rare form of eye cancer known as uveal melanoma to 475 healthy patients (controls) who did not have the eye cancer. The patients cell phone use was measured using a self-reported questionnaire. On average, the researchers found that the eye cancer patients had higher use of cell phones in comparison to healthy patients. Study B: A British study by Hepworth et al., (2006) compared 966 patients with brain cancer to 1716 patients (controls) who did not have brain cancer. The patients cell phone use was measured via a self-reported questionnaire. The researchers found that the use of cell phones were comparable between the two study groups. Study C: A randomized experiment conducted in Australia by Repacholi (1997) on mice was conducted to examine the effects of exposure to cell phone radiation and brain tumours. Specifically, 200 transgenic mice that were specially bred to be susceptible to radiation were randomized were experimental or control groups. One hundred mice were exposed for 2.5 hours per day to the same kind of microwave radiation with approximately the same power as the kind transmitted from a cell phone during this time period; whereas 100 control mice were not exposed for comparison purposes. After 18 months, the brain tumour rate for the exposed mice to cell phone radiation was approximately twice as high as the brain tumour rate for the unexposed mice. 3. How was the Australian study fundamentally different from the German and British studies in terms of the kind of data collected on radiation exposure via cell phone use (independent variable) and the development of a brain tumour (dependent variable)? (i) In the Australian study, the researcher employed a randomized control group experimental design to assess the effects of radiation vs. no radiation in an animal model. Hence, the researcher rather than the subject (as per the German & British studies) decided prior to the commence of the study how

Practice Exam 1 Research Methods HLSC 3910U Dr. Wally J. Bartfay 2013

much radiation (control vs. experimental groups) each subject would receive in a given time period of 18 months. (ii) The Australian researchers were able to manipulate the independent variable (radiation exposure) and determine its effect on the dependent variable (development of a brain tumor), in comparison to unexposed mice (controls). (iii) The Australian researchers did not merely observe the subjects (mice), but determined which treatment each would receive. (iv) The British and German studies are deemed more validate and accurate in nature because the researchers employed human subjects (the target population), as opposed to an animal model that has limitations in terms of generalizability of findings. Answer choices: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (i) and (ii) (iii) and (iv) (ii), (iii) and (iv) (i), (ii) and (iii) All of the above

4. According to Article 1.1 (1998) of the Tri-Council guidelines for ethical research in Canada, which of the following statement(s) is/are included in this guideline for researchers? (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Respect for human dignity Respect for justice and inclusiveness Balancing harms and benefits Respect for vulnerable persons and the need for free and informed consent All of the above

5. According to your assigned readings and lectures, __________validity is defined as the extent to which the scores on a proposed instrument or scale permits the researcher to make inferences about underlying traits, attitudes, or behaviours. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Face Content Construct Predictive Absolute

Practice Exam 1 Research Methods HLSC 3910U Dr. Wally J. Bartfay 2013
Fill in the blanks 6. In ___________studies, the subject groups are compared based on specific characteristics. For example, smokers versus non-smokers.

7. According to your assigned readings and lectures, ____________research involves the process of learning and constructing the meaning of human experiences through intensive dialogue with subjects who are living the experience. For example, parents of young children diagnosed with a brain tumor.

8. ______________ seeks to understand natural human communication (e.g., between the patient and physician) and helps to identify rules, mechanisms and the structure of conversations.

PART II -SHORT ANSWER SECTION: Please print clearly. Note: Illegible responses will be marked as incorrect.

List and define Hills nine (9) criteria for determining causation by researchers in the health sciences. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Practice Exam 1 Research Methods HLSC 3910U Dr. Wally J. Bartfay 2013

COMPLETE the flow-chart below depicting a pretest-posttest or before-after experimental design (1 mark each-please print clearly):

18. -

21. 19. 20. Pre-test

22. Post-test 23.

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