Cohort Research Papers

1. The main steps in a cohort study are to define the research question. Field et al. (2008) defined the research question as to examine the difference in survival rates for preterm babies born before 26 weeks. Then a sampling frame was established, and a sample population was obtained. (Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008). A sample of alive infants born between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2005, before 26 weeks gestation to mothers with a home address in a specific geographic location (Trent region). The sample was based on people, place, and time (Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008). Field et al. (2008) selected to conduct a prospective cohort study, over a period of 12 years (1994-2005), using two groups of cohorts. One group is considered the unexposed group (1994-1999) and the other group is the exposed group (2000-2005). A clear definition of exposure was defined as “improvements in medical care” by Field et al. 2008 (p.1221). …show more content…
The hypothesis test that will determine if there are significant differences between year cohorts for mean days of care/admitted baby. The Ho (null hypothesis) will state: there is no association between the year cohorts for mean days of care/admitted baby, and the association is by chance. In contrast, H1 will state: there is an association between the year cohorts for mean days of care/ admitted baby. The type of hypothesis test may be the t-test. With the t-test, we can compare continuous data (means days of care/admitted baby) of both cohorts (group differences)(Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008). In comparison, a chi-squared test would not determine the strength of the association, only that there may be evidence of an association ( Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008). Also, categorical data is required for chi-squared tests (Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008). Furthermore, logistic regression statistical analysis may be applied to account for confounding variables (Pourhoseingholi, Baghestani, & Vahedi,