Question:medium

In a case-control study, among the cases there are 60 exposed and 20 unexposed individuals, while among the controls there are 40 exposed and 80 unexposed individuals. What is the odds ratio of exposure?

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Odds ratio = cross-product ad/bc of the 2×2 table.
Updated On: Jun 25, 2026
  • 6
  • 3
  • 1.5
  • 0.17
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

The odds ratio summarises a case-control study by comparing the odds of being exposed in the diseased group with the odds of being exposed in the non-diseased group. First build the odds of exposure in each arm. Among the 80 cases, 60 are exposed and 20 are not, so the exposure odds in cases are $60/20 = 3$. Among the 120 controls, 40 are exposed and 80 are not, so the exposure odds in controls are $40/80 = 0.5$. The odds ratio is the ratio of these two odds: \[ OR = \frac{60/20}{40/80} = \frac{3}{0.5} = 6 \] This is algebraically identical to the diagonal cross-product $ad/bc$, which confirms the value. Because the result exceeds 1, the exposure is associated with markedly higher odds of disease — roughly a sixfold increase. Values such as 1.5 or 0.17 would come from dividing the odds the wrong way round or pairing the wrong cells. \[\boxed{OR = 6}\]
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