Question

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Matricaria recutita extract (the active ingredient in chamomile tea) on sleep quality, fatigue, and depression in postpartum women. Sleep quality is a significant issue for women after childbirth and chamomile is widely used as a folk remedy for its presumed sedative-hypnotic effects. A total of 80 Taiwanese postnatal women, aged 25-35 with poor sleep quality were recruited from November 2012-August 2013. They were randomly assigned to one of two possible groups of 40 people each. The participants in Group 1 were instructed to drink M. recutita extract (540mg/day)) daily for a period of 2 weeks. The participants in Group 2 received regular postpartum care only. The Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale (PSQS), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Postpartum Fatigue Scale were used to assess sleep quality, fatigue, and depression with higher scores indicating poorer outcomes. Compared with Group 2, Group 1 demonstrated significantly lower scores of physical-symptoms-related sleep inefficiency (t = -2·482, P = 0·015) and the symptoms of depression (t = -2·372, P = 0·020). Chamomile tea may be recommended to postpartum women as a supplementary approach to alleviating depression and sleep quality problems.

Question 6:

What type of study design was this? (4 points)

Question 7:

List two advantages and two disadvantages of this type of study design. (8 points)

Answer 1

6. Answer:-

This is a Experimental Study Design. Its basic concept is to study the effect of an intervention. This design can be classified as controlled (with comparison) and uncontrolled( without comparison.

IN the above mentioned experiment, a controlled study design is used that includes a group that does not receive the intervension (marticaria recutita treatment) and a group that receives the intervention. this controlled study design provides a more accurate and valid conclusion. That is: Compared with group 2, group 1 showed significantly lower scores of sleep problems.

7. Answer:-

The two advantages of this design is:-

a) one traetment is directly compared to another to show the superiority.this design can make the strongest factual evidence of a treatments efficacy.

b) it wipes out the bias in treatment assignment particularly the selection bias and confounding (confusion).

The two disadvantages are:-

a) Trials that are tested for the effectiveness are larger and more expensive and may not be widely applicable.

b) results may not always resemble real life treatment situtions. It can vry according to the situation because of unclear hypothese and multiple objectives , inappropriate subject selection criteria, .