Chapter 1: History and Scope of Epidemiology

Question 1

What is Epidemiology?

Answer 1

The study of distribution, patterns, and determinants of a disease in defined populations.

Question 2

Determinants?

Answer 2

The factors and events that are capable of bringing about a change in healthcare. It could be bacteria that is still around or it could even be our actions.
Ex: Bacteria causing Covid-19 still around. Washing our hands, wearing our masks, etc.

Question 3

Distribution?

Answer 3

The way a disease or illness spreads around. The differences in disease patterns. Does a disease only spread to women, teenagers, Asians,etc.?

Question 4

Burden of disease?

Answer 4

How a disease may affect a population

Ex: WHO of Global Burden of Disease Project tracks how diseases, injuries, and risk factors affect regions of the world

Question 5

Where does epidemiology come from?

Answer 5

Epidemic. The Greek words are epi(upon)+demos(people) +logy(study of)

Question 6

Morbidity?

Answer 6

Designates illness

Question 7

Mortality

Answer 7

Refers to death. Opposite of immortal. Think of “In Time”

Question 8

Biostatistics?

Answer 8

A field/type of statistics related to biology. Applied to living organisms/plants. Critical to evaluation of epidemiologic data

Question 9

What is an epidemic?

Answer 9

The spread of a disease in a single location. When there is a sudden increase of cases in an outbreak
Ex: Covid-19 in Wuhan, China

Question 10

Pandemic?

Answer 10

When the disease spreads farther into the world. The P” means a disease has a passport. Large numbers of people may be affected and a disease may cross international borders.
Ex: Covid-19 began to spread to other countries like the United States

Question 11

Endemic?

Answer 11

Something that belongs to a particular group of people

Question 12

Usual frequency?

Answer 12

The disease’s typical occurence at the same time in the same population, in the same geographic area

Question 13

What does it mean for a disease to be communicable?

Answer 13

The illness is caused by an infectious agent and can be transmitted from one person to another

Question 14

Another word for communicable disease

Answer 14

Infectious disease

Question 15

What is an outbreak?

Answer 15

A localized disease epidemic

Question 16

What is surveillance?

Answer 16

The monitoring of a disease or illness. Watching the disease to see how it spreads, where it goes, who it affects. Figures out factors, patterns, etc.

Question 17

Who made the smallpox vaccination?

Answer 17

Edward Jenner

Question 18

What is the “Mother of all Pandemics”?

Answer 18

Influenza

Question 19

Cholera?

Answer 19

Lasted from Aug. 19-Sept. 30, 1849. Was from a contaminated water supply at Broad St. in London.

Question 20

What is public health practice?

Answer 20

Strategic, organized, and interdisciplinary application of knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to perform essential services/activities to better healthcare

Question 21

Epidemiology can involve the study of:

Answer 21

• Infectious diseases
• Chronic diseases
• Accidents and injuries

Question 22

The definition of epidemiology includes the term “distribution.” Which TWO of the following best describes this term?

Answer 22

• Frequency

- Pattern

Question 23

Which of the following might be considered an epidemic?

Answer 23

• Thousands of cases of Ebola in West Africa
• 2 cases of small pox in NJ
• 100 or more cases of meningitis in a Rutgers dorm

Question 24

What is not true about John Snow and the Cholera outbreak on Broad St. in London, August 19 to September 30, 1849?

Answer 24

Removing the Broad St. water pump led to the largest decrease in incidence cases

Question 25

To describe:

Answer 25

Means to enumerate the cases of disease, to obtain relative frequencies of the disease within subgroups, and to discover important trends in the occurrence of disease

Question 26

To explain

Answer 26

Means to discover causal factors as well as to determine modes of transmission

Question 27

To predict

Answer 27

Is to estimate the actual number of of cases that will develop as well as to identify the distribution within populations

Question 28

To control

Answer 28

The epidemiologic approach is used to prevent the occurrence of new cases of disease, to eradicate existing cases, and to prolong the lives of those with the disease

Question 29

Infectious disease epidemiology is really the only type of epidemiology

Answer 29

False

Question 30

In your own words, briefly describe characteristics that distinguish epidemic from pandemic

Answer 30

An epidemic is when a disease or illness is spread within a community or population of people. A pandemic is when that disease or illness spreads further to other countries and continents. A way I learned and remember this is the “P” in pandemic can also stand for “passport”, as in a pandemic has a passport. While an epidemic may stay local, a pandemic has a “passport” to go to other places outside of the community.

Question 31

Water-borne infectious disease continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality globally. Which of the following is NOT a surveillance method used by public health agencies to reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal illness associated with drinking water?

Answer 31

Treating affected patients with antibiotics to reduce symptoms

Question 32

The underlying premise in epidemiology is that disease or health related states are randomly distributed in populations.

Answer 32

False

• Epidemiology is concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations.
• “Distribution relates to differences in disease patterns in subgroups of the population. The frequency of disease occurrence..vary from one population to another in the US” (page 13)

Question 33

Define interdisciplinary, and explain why epidemiology is an interdisciplinary science.

Answer 33

Interdisciplinary is when something has more than one area or branch of knowledge or information. So in the case of epidemiology, it would be considered interdisciplinary because of the many fields and branches that are involved. Healthcare involves a multitude of fields and therefore the main field of epidemiology would have as well. In epidemiology, there are several science related focuses that need attention. Such as chemistry, biology, anatomy, physics, psychology, etc. All these subjects and more have value not just on their own but altogether and they have influence on the course of epidemiology.