Final answer:
An epidemiological study aimed at testing hypotheses is not a descriptive study, but an analytical study, designed to establish cause-and-effect relationships and test specific hypotheses. Observational studies are a type of analytical study particularly useful when controlled experiments are not feasible.
Therefore, the correct answer is: option 'false'.
Step-by-step explanation:
Descriptive studies describe the occurrence of diseases and other health-related phenomena in populations without analyzing causative connections.
In contrast, analytical studies, such as controlled experiments or cohort studies, are designed to test hypotheses by comparing groups and using statistical methods to determine whether the observed effects are due to chance.
Analytical studies often encompass a variety of research designs, including case-control studies, cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials, to explore the associations between exposures and outcomes.
They are fundamental in the development of a hypothesis, which involves the formulation of a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables, subject to empirical testing.
OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES are a category of analytical studies that pertain to hypothesis testing, particularly when controlled experimentation is not possible due to practical or ethical reasons.
These studies observe outcomes in natural settings without manipulating the exposure. This is essential for testing hypotheses in real-world scenarios, although they do not provide the same level of evidence as experiments due to potential confounding factors.