The participants in this pop in of study are selected based on particular variables.
Researchers record the information that is present in a population, but they do not manipulatevariables.
A researcher might collect cross-sectional data on past smoking habits and current diagnoses of lung cancer, for example.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Advantages of Cross-Sectional Studies
Cross-sectional studies are popular because they offer many benefits for researchers.
Inexpensive and Fast
Cross-sectional studies typically allow researchers to collect a great deal of information quickly.
Data is often obtained inexpensively usingself-report surveys.
Researchers are then able to amass large amounts of information from a large pool of participants.
For example, researchers might be interested in learning how exercise influences cognitive health as people age.
Challenges of Cross-Sectional Studies
No method of research is perfect.
Cross-sectional studies also have potential drawbacks.
In many cases, the differences among individuals could be attributed to variation among the study subjects.
Therefore, they might be at greater risk of strokeregardless of what they drink.
Typically, no mechanism for verifying this information exists.
Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Studies
Cross-sectional research differs fromlongitudinal studiesin several important ways.
A longitudinal study evaluates multiple measures over an extended period to detect trends and changes.
Because a longitudinal study occurs over a span of time, researchers can lose track of subjects.
Individuals might lose interest, move to another city, change their minds about participating, etc.
This can influence the validity of the study.
A Word From Verywell
Cross-sectional studies can be useful research tools in many areas of health research.
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