Certified in Public Health (CPH) Practice Exam

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What statistical measure is commonly used in cohort studies to express risk?

Relative risk.
Prevalence ratio.
Odds ratio.
Attributable risk.

The correct answer is: Relative risk.

In cohort studies, the statistical measure commonly used to express risk is relative risk. This measure compares the risk of an outcome occurring in an exposed group to the risk of the same outcome in an unexposed group. By calculating the relative risk, researchers can determine how much more (or less) likely the outcome is to occur in the exposed group compared to the unexposed group, providing a clear understanding of the strength of the association between exposure and outcome. Relative risk is particularly valuable in cohort studies because they follow participants over time to see who develops the outcome, allowing for more straightforward interpretation of risk compared to other measures. While other measures like odds ratio and attributable risk are also used in epidemiological studies, they serve different purposes or are derived from different study designs, with odds ratios being more common in case-control studies rather than cohort studies. Prevalence ratios focus on comparing the prevalence of a condition rather than the risk over time, which is not the primary goal of a cohort study, where incidence and timing of outcomes are key factors.