Which of the following is the BEST measure of the strength of association between smoking and lung cancer in a case-control study?

• A Relative Risk (RR)
• B Attributable Risk (AR)
• C Population Attributable Risk (PAR)
• D Odds Ratio (OR) ✓

Explanation

In case-control studies, incidence cannot be directly calculated (as you start with cases and controls, not a defined population at risk), so Relative Risk cannot be computed directly. The Odds Ratio (OR) is the appropriate measure of association in case-control studies and approximates RR when disease prevalence is low (<10%). Attributable Risk and PAR require incidence data from cohort or experimental studies.

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

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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