A study design in which a population at risk is examined to identify diseased as well as non-diseased individuals. These sub-groups are categorized as exposed or not exposed to the suspected factor and then followed for a period to identify who develops the disease and who does not within that period.
The purpose is to determine the association between a risk factor and the disease. This type of cohort study may be described as both longitudinal and prospective. Some special cases of cohort studies are retrospective rather than concurrent.
Last, J. 1983. A Dictionary of Epidemiology, New York, NY: Oxford Medical Publications.
Gordis, L. 2000. Epidemiology, 2nd ed., Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Science.
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