Final answer:
Matching is a statistical technique used in case-control studies to pair cases and controls and control for potential confounders. Case-control studies compare groups retrospectively and help establish associations between behaviors or exposures and outcomes. This method is pivotal when experimental studies are not feasible.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statistical technique commonly used in case-control studies is matching. By matching cases and controls based on potential confounders, this technique may help detect exposures that are relevant to the outcome of interest.
Case-control studies explained
Let’s elaborate on what these studies involve. A case-control study is an observational study that compares a group of subjects having a trait of interest (“cases”) with a group of similar subjects not having the trait (“controls”). Researchers collect data retrospectively, asking subjects to report their behaviors in the past. Despite being practical for identifying associations between exposures and outcomes, their reliability may be compromised due to the retrospective data collection, where participants may forget or be dishonest about their past behaviors.
For example, a classic case-control study conducted by Doll and Hill in 1950 compared past smoking habits between lung cancer patients and people without lung cancer, finding a strong association between past smoking behavior and current lung cancer status.
Case-control studies are instrumental when it is neither possible nor ethical to conduct an experimental study. For instance, examining the effect of malnutrition on elementary school performance through an experimental study would not be suitable. Instead, an observational study where the independent variable isn’t manipulated but rather observed and measured is more appropriate. Similar methodologies were used to determine the potential causes of recent food poisoning outbreaks by matching those affected (“cases”) with those who were not (“controls”) who dined at the same restaurant.
Overall, matching cases and controls is a critical process in case-control studies because it aims to control confounding variables, which are outside factors that could affect the results.