In this episode of Season 2 of SERious Epidemiology, Hailey and Matt get into the humble case control study. We discuss the ins and outs of this much maligned study design that has so flummoxed so many in epidemiology. We ask the hard questions about the best way sample in a case control study, whether we spend too much or not enough time on it in our teaching, whether a case control study always has to be nested within some hypothetical cohort, whether the design is inherently more biased than cohort studies (spoiler: no, but…), why some people refer to cases and controls when they are not referring to a case control study, and, if it were on a famous TV show, which character the case control study would be (and more importantly, why Hailey has never seen said TV show).

Papers referenced in this episode:

Selection of Controls in Case-Control Studies: I. Principles

Sholom Wacholder, Joseph K. McLaughlin, Debra T. Silverman, Jack S. Mandel

American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 135, Issue 9, 1 May 1992, Pages 1019–1028, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116396

Selection of Controls in Case-Control Studies: II. Types of Controls

Sholom Wacholder, Debra T. Silverman, Joseph K. McLaughlin, Jack S. Mandel

American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 135, Issue 9, 1 May 1992, Pages 1029–1041, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116397

Selection of controls in case-control studies. III. Design options

S Wacholder 1, D T Silverman, J K McLaughlin, J S Mandel

Wacholder S, Silverman DT, McLaughlin JK, Mandel JS. Selection of controls in case-control studies. III. Design options. Am J Epidemiol. 1992 May 1;135(9):1042-50.

doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116398