A researcher enrolls patients with a newly diagnosed disease and a matched group without the disease, then looks back to assess past exposure. This is best described as which study design?

• A Retrospective cohort study
• B Cross-sectional study
• C Ecological study
• D Case-control study ✓

Explanation

A case-control study starts with cases (disease present) and controls (disease absent) and looks backward for exposure. A retrospective cohort starts with an exposure status defined in the past and follows forward. The key distinction is that case-control selects on outcome first, cohort selects on exposure first.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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