Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

The primary focus of a cohort study is to follow exposed and non-exposed individuals over time. This type of study is designed to observe the development of outcomes (such as diseases) in different groups of people based on their exposure to a particular risk factor. By tracking these groups over a period, researchers can establish temporal relationships and assess how exposure affects the incidence of specific outcomes.

Cohort studies are particularly valuable in epidemiology because they allow for the examination of risk factors in a natural setting. For instance, if a population of individuals exposed to a potential carcinogen is compared with a similar group that has not been exposed, researchers can determine the incidence of cancer in both groups over time. This longitudinal approach provides stronger evidence for causation compared to studies that assess outcomes at a single point, as it considers how exposure influences health over an extended period.

While the other options touch on various aspects of epidemiological research, they do not accurately define the unique approach of cohort studies. Assessing health outcomes at a single point in time aligns more closely with cross-sectional studies, comparing diseases in two different populations relates to case-control studies or ecological studies, and identifying the prevalence of a new disease pertains to descriptive epidemiology rather than the time-dependent nature of cohort