| Title: |
Observational epidemiology: Survey, Cohort and Case-Control Studies |
| Keywords: |
Case studies
Surveys
Epidemiology
|
| Country: |
Norway
|
| Institution: |
Norway - Centre for International Health, Universitetet i Bergen
|
| Course coordinator: |
Cecile Svanes
|
| Date start: |
2026-03-02 |
| Date end: |
2026-03-20 |
| About duration and dates: |
3.5 weeks in total: ½-week self-study 3-weeks interactive course (02-20/03/2025) Application deadline: November 1st, 2025 |
| Classification: |
advanced optional
|
| Mode of delivery: |
Face to face
|
|
Course location:
On campus, Centre for International Health, Årstadveien 21, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway |
|
| ECTS credit points: |
5 ECTS credits
|
SIT:
150 hours:
a) 15 hours of preparations during the self-study week including: course instructions, log-in to learning platform and student introduction/presentation on the platform, download of course literature and install statistical software, and pre-reading of introductory materials.
b) On campus 3 weeks (135 hours): 60 hrs direct contact hours, 20 hours group work, 10 hours computer lab work, 45 hours self-studies during the course |
|
| Language: |
English
|
Description:
At the end of the course the students should be able to:
● Critically evaluate observational epidemiological research
● Discuss the principles of surveys, cohort studies, and matched and unmatched case control studies; and related sampling methods and sample size
● Suggest relevant designs (plan) for case control studies, cohort studies and surveys
● Evaluate selection- and information biases in observational studies |
|
Assessment Procedures:
4-hour written exam on the last day of the face-to-face course, consisting of short questions and problem-solving questions and calculation. ECTS Grading scale A-F.
Mandatory participation (not graded) in group work prior to exam.
If the student fails the exam, he/she can resit for the exam in the same semester. If failing again the student will be recommended to take the course again. |
|
Content:
This course is complimentary to the core course level one, and deepens the concepts in the core course to an advanced level
● Sampling methods and design effects
● Sample size and statistical power
● Measures of disease occurrence and of exposure-disease association
● Bias, confounding, effect modification
● Surveys and surveillance.
● Cross-sectional study
● Cohort study
● Case-control study
● Points to remember in the planning and evaluation of the different study designs
● Ethical principles of case studies |
|
Methods:
The pre-reading provides necessary background information to follow the course. Each day has a mixture of lectures and practical sessions, with group work or individual work on specific assignments and the use of the computer laboratory for data analysis under supervision. The lectures are interactive, and course participants are encouraged to ask questions and discuss during all sessions. The reference literature is made available on the first day of the course through the internet (“Mitt UiB”). Scientific papers are handed out for reading, group work and presentations/discussions in plenary together with the course facilitators/lecturers. |
|
Prerequisites:
Students admitted to a Master’s degree Programme may join this course (e.g. TropEd Europe network).
Completed the 2-credit course Medical Statistics with Stata (MEDSTATA) https://www4.uib.no/en/studies/courses/medstata or equivalent
Good working knowledge of English (TOEFL score of at least 550 points paper-based or 213 points computer-based, or an equivalent approved test). |
|
Attendance:
Compulsory 80% attendance in group work, laboratory exercises, and taking Exam
Max no. of students: 30, max. no of TropEd students: 15.
Min. no of students: 5. |
|
Selection:
The selection will be based on documented skills in epidemiology and biostatistics at tropEd core course level.
Priority will be given to:
Master students in Global Health enrolled at the University of Bergen and Master students from institutions within tropEd.
If needed, we use the principle ‘first come, first served’ |
|
|
|
|
|
Major changes since initial accreditation:
Added a prerequisite of stata knowledge (MEDSTATA course). |
|
Student evaluation:
Students evaluate the teaching according to the quality assessment requirements of the University of Bergen. The evaluation method is anonymous and through an online electronic form or a paper form.
In general, the students are very content with the course, but it is a demanding course for students with limited basic knowledge of epidemiology and biostatistics.
On student request, we have added a prerequisite of stata knowledge, and the computer sessions in the course work better after this change. We have also changed the order of courses, so that many students will have taken a course in Experimental Epidemiology before this course in Observational Epidemiology. |
|
Lessons learned:
With the above changes, more of the students are after completing the course well prepared to undertake their own observational studies in low resource and other settings. |
|
tropEd accreditation:
Accredited in May 2006, re-accredited in October 2011 and January 2017. Re-accredited in EC Telco, Dec.2025 This accreditation is valid until December 2030. |
|
| Email Address: |
linda.forshaw@igs.uib.no |
| Date Of Record Creation: |
2012-01-13 01:41:59 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Of Record Release: |
2012-01-13 07:55:34 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Record Checked: |
2017-09-12 (W3C-DTF) |
| Date Last Modified: |
2025-12-16 11:27:11 (W3C-DTF) |
