Study designs are an important requirement in the effort to carry out quality research and obtain valid results. Therefore, a researcher has to make a deliberate effort to choose the best study design when carrying out a study. This is especially important in studies which involve statistical data. ADHD has been a subject of interests. In order to have a deeper understanding of the disease, the following research question was chosen for a study.
Is there a relationship between unhealthy diets and the prevalence of ADHD?
The research question can be answered using a case control study . It is designed to determine if a certain exposure results to an outcome, in this case, the exposure to poor diet and the prevalence of ADHD. The study can be done by comparing on group with the outcome and another without the outcome ( Margetts & Nelson, 2010) . These groups are then studied for exposure and its frequency before determining the correlation between the exposure and outcome. The study is unique since it is done in retrospect. On the other hand, the research question can be answered using a cross-sectional or ecological design. In the latter, variables from an entire population, and draw inference from the population ( Margetts & Nelson, 2010) . However, individuals from the population are studied at every single point in time in a cross-sectional study.
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Based on the research question, the best method is the case-control approach. Looking retrogressively the sample will determine accurately if poor diets contributed to the prevalence of ADHD. The approach is the best since it allows researchers to trace back an outcome to an exposure. It is efficient, inexpensive, quick, and easy to perform, hence is the suitable for the study.
References
Margetts, B. M., & Nelson, M. (2010). Design concepts in nutritional epidemiology . Oxford [etc.: Oxford University Press.
