Abstract
In a cross-sectional study, all in a given population or a random sample from this population define the source population. The disease and its possible determinants are all recorded at a given point in time. This introduces a temporal ambiguity in the possible cause–effect association and for this reason most cross-sectional studies have survey purposes that are only descriptive.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Olsen, J., Christensen, K., Murray, J., Ekbom, A. (2010). The Cross-Sectional Study. In: An Introduction to Epidemiology for Health Professionals. Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1497-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1497-2_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1496-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1497-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)