Зміст
1. (a) Is the research objective a Descriptive aim (Aim 1 or 2-type) or Analytic aim (Aim 3a or 3b type)? (1 mark)
Analytic aim (Aim 3a or 3b type)
(b) Give your reason for saying so.
The research objective is to evaluate the effect of house dust mite-impermeable bedding on severe asthma exacerbations in children, comparing the active group (mite-impermeable bedding) to a placebo group (control bedding). This is characteristic of analytic research, particularly Aim 3a, which looks at the effect of an intervention on an outcome.
2. (a) From the Methods, what was the study patient population of this research study?
The study population consisted of mite-sensitized children with asthma aged 3–17 years who had recently attended a hospital for an asthma exacerbation.
(b) Why couldn’t the researchers have just studied normal children?
The researchers could not study “normal” (non-asthmatic) children because the study focused on the effect of mite-impermeable bedding on asthma exacerbations, which are specific to children with asthma. Normal children without asthma or mite sensitization would not experience asthma exacerbations, making them irrelevant to the study’s objective of evaluating the intervention’s impact on this specific health outcome.
3. (a) Is the exposure being studied an “environmental exposure” or a “non-environmental” exposure?
Environmental exposure - the exposure being studied (dust mites in bedding) comes from the physical environment.
(b) Is the exposure being studied an “interventional” exposure or a “non-interventional” exposure? Explain your reasoning.
