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An understanding of the individual and combined effects of a set of intervention components is important for moving the science of preventive medicine interventions forward. This understanding can often be achieved in an efficient and economical way via a factorial experiment, in which two or more independent variables are manipulated. The factorial experiment is a complement to the RCT; the two designs address different research questions.

To offer an introduction to factorial experiments aimed at investigators trained primarily in the RCT.

The factorial experiment is compared and contrasted with other experimental designs used commonly in intervention science to highlight where each is most efficient and appropriate.

Several points are made: factorial experiments make very efficient use of experimental subjects when the data are properly analyzed; a factorial experiment …