Causation and Epidemiology
Scientific Proof
A case-control study identifies subjects by disease status and reconstructs their exposure histories, comparing exposure prevalence between cases and controls. It produces odds ratios rather than direct incidence measures.
It is efficient for rare diseases.
Alternative Names:
Case Control Design, Retrospective Study
Why it Matters?
Recall bias is the recurring vulnerability, since people with a disease search their history for explanations and report exposures more completely than healthy controls. That bias inflates observed associations and is the standard defense critique of case-control evidence. Control selection is the other issue, because controls drawn from a population differing systematically from cases produce spurious associations.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is recall bias?
Why use case-control design?
