What is the primary purpose of case-control studies in research?

The primary purpose of case-control studies is to investigate relationships between health outcomes and risk factors. In this type of study, researchers compare individuals with a specific health condition (cases) to those without the condition (controls). The goal is to identify potential risk factors that may contribute to the development of the health outcome being studied. By examining differences in exposure to certain risk factors between the two groups, researchers can determine associations that might suggest a link between the risk factors and the health outcome.

Case-control studies are particularly useful in situations where the health outcome is rare, allowing researchers to focus on a smaller number of cases to gather valuable information about potential causative factors. This method is less about evaluating populations over time or determining treatment effectiveness, which is more characteristic of cohort studies or randomized controlled trials. Instead, the specific design of case-control studies allows for a deeper understanding of the causal relationships between risk factors and health issues.