Nov. 14, 2011 -- Mini strokes, with symptoms that last just a few minutes or hours, are well-recognized warning signs for potentially deadly larger strokes. Now new research confirms that they are associated with a lower life expectancy.
A cross section is the shape we get when cutting straight through an object. The cross section of this object is a triangle. It is like a view into the inside of something made by cutting through it.
The defining feature of a cross-sectional study is that it can compare different population groups at a single point in time. Think of it in terms of taking a snapshot. Findings are drawn from whatever fits into the frame.