Question

A recent study showed that viral medications might be useful for fighting certain bacterial infections. participants with gastrointestinal issues were assigned to either a placebo or viral medication for the first four weeks of the study, followed by an additional four weeks on the other treatment. their symptoms showed significantly more improvement from the viral medication than the placebo. what type of study is this, and what is the explanatory variable? choose 1 answer:

Answer 1

The study is a clinical trial with a crossover design, assessing the effectiveness of a viral medication compared to a placebo for gastrointestinal issues, where the explanatory variable is the type of treatment (viral medication or placebo).

Step-by-step explanation:

The study described is a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of medications for managing symptoms of gastrointestinal issues possibly due to viral infections. The study utilizes a crossover design, where participants are assigned to either a placebo or a viral medication for the first four weeks and then receive the alternate treatment for the subsequent four weeks. The explanatory variable in this study is the type of medication (viral medication versus placebo). This is indicative of a comparative study wherein the improvement of symptoms under one treatment is measured against the improvement under the placebo condition.

Such clinical trials are essential for determining the efficacy of medications and are a fundamental component of evidence-based medicine.