Basic Epidemiology Flashcards
What is Last’s dictionary of epidemiology’s definition of epidemiology?
It is the study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in specified populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems
What is public health?
It is the process pf promoting health, preventing disease, prolonging life and improving quality of health through the organized efforts of society - the systematic practical application of epidemiology
What is the distribution of health states or events?
A description of the frequency and pattern of health events in a population.
Frequency = The number of occurrences of a health event in a population within a given time period. Measured by rates and risks of health events in a population.
Pattern - The occurrence of health related events by time, place or personal characteristics
What are the determinants of health states or events?
They are definable factors that influence the occurrence of health related events.
Aka Risk factors//Protective Factors depending on which health related events they are associated with.
What are health related events?
Health outcomes (e.g. death, illness and disability) as well as positive health states (e.g. survival and reduced risk of stroke), and the means to improve health.
What are the fundamental things to know about a disease in a population?
The fundamental things we need to know about a disease in a population are who, where and when.
We are interested in describing the distribution of the disease in terms of time, place and person.
What are the uses of epidemiology?
- To identify factors that can affect the occurrence of disease.
- To assess the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic treatments.
- To assess the impact of healthcare services
- To predict future health care needs
What are the two key elements we measure in most epidemiological studies?
Exposure: The risk factor that we are investigating, which may or may not be the cause (may influence the outcome).
Outcome: The disease or event or health related state, that we are interested in (or it can be a risk factor for or a precursor to, a disease).
Describe the different methods used in carrying out an epidemiological investigation
Observational: -
- Surveillance and descriptive studies are used to study distribution.
- Analytic studies are used to study determinants (causes, risk factors)
- Interventional or experimental
How are observational study designs further classified?
Into Individual and Group. Which can be further classified into descriptive and analytical.
What are descriptive and analytical studies?
A descriptive study is one in which the distribution of an exposure and/or outcome are examined without any attempt by the investigator to influence them.
An interventional study is designed to test a hypothesis by modifying an exposure within the study population.
What is a cross-sectional study?
It a study in which the prevalence of an exposure and/or an outcome are measured in a given population at a specified point in time. The dats may be analyzed to look for an association between the exposure and the outcome.
What is a case control study?
A study in which the individuals with and without the outcome of interest are identified. Their status with respect to exposures of interest is then determined in order to look for associations between these exposures and the outcome of interest.
What is a cohort study?
A study in which one or more groups of individuals are followed up over a period of time to determine the frequency of a particular outcome in the group(s).
