Abstract
Cross-sectional studies are observational studies that analyze data from a population at a single point in time. They are often used to measure the prevalence of health outcomes, understand determinants of health, and describe features of a population. Unlike other types of observational studies, cross-sectional studies do not follow individuals up over time. They are usually inexpensive and easy to conduct. They are useful for establishing preliminary evidence in planning a future advanced study. This article reviews the essential characteristics, describes strengths and weaknesses, discusses methodological issues, and gives our recommendations on design and statistical analysis for cross-sectional studies in pulmonary and critical care medicine. A list of considerations for reviewers is also provided.
Keywords
Observational studyCross-sectional studyMedicineStrengths and weaknessesPopulationCross-sectional dataObservational methods in psychologyEnvironmental healthFamily medicineStatisticsPathologyPsychology
MeSH Terms
Cross-Sectional StudiesGuidelines as TopicHumans
Affiliated Institutions
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Publication Info
- Year
- 2020
- Type
- review
- Volume
- 158
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- S65-S71
- Citations
- 1544
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Xiaofeng Wang,
Zhenshun Cheng
(2020).
Cross-Sectional Studies.
CHEST Journal
, 158
(1)
, S65-S71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.012
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.012
- PMID
- 32658654