Clinical Guides: Health Research Study Designs: Cross-Sectional Studies

A cross-sectional study is an observational study that analyses data from a population at a single point in time. It is used to examine the prevalence, associations, or patterns of health conditions, behaviours, or other variables within a defined group.

Cross-sectional studies are appropriate for researching prevalence of an outcome or exposure at a specific point in time.

It is efficient and cost-effective, but cannot determine whether one variable caused another.

Requirements:

4-18 months and at least 3 team members with appropriate expertise.
Cross-sectional studies should adhere to the STROBE Statement.
You may need to obtain ethics approval and informed consent.

How to do a cross-sectional study

Develop a hypothesis and aim
Search the literature
1. You may need assistance from a librarian
Develop the study methodology
1. Consider target population, sampling methods, and inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Obtain approval
Obtain informed consent
Write and register the protocol
Collect data
Analyse data
1. You may need assistance from a biostatistician
Write up the research
Reference your sources
Publish your research

Examples
Dessinioti, C., et al. (2018). A cross-sectional study of the perceptions about triggering factors in acne patients. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 32(4), e137–e139.
Paiva, B.S.R., et al. (2021). Prevalence of burnout and predictive factors among oncology nursing professionals: a cross-sectional study. Sao Paulo medical journal, 139(4), 341–350.

Recommended resources:

CASP. (n.d.). Cross-sectional studies checklist.
Kesmodel, U. S. (2018). Cross-sectional studies - what are they good for? Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica, 97(4), 388–393.
Levin, K. A. (2006). Study design III: Cross-sectional studies. Evidence-based dentistry, 7(1), 24–25.
Wang, X., et al. (2020). Cross-Sectional Studies: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations. Chest, 158(1S), S65–S71.

Cochrane Mental Health. (2019). Cross-sectional studies.