CORE 1 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What does health status refer to?
The pattern of health of a general population over time
Why is it necessary to understand the health status of a population?
To identify health priority issues
What is epidemiology?
The study of patterns & causes of health & disease in populations
How is epidemiology utilized by governments and organizations?
To picture the health status of Australians
What does prevalence measure in epidemiology?
The number of cases of a disease in a population at a time
Provide an example of prevalence in Australia.
20,000 people in Australia are infected with HIV
What does incidence measure in epidemiology?
The number of new cases of disease occurring in a population
Provide an example of incidence in Australia.
Approximately 800 new diagnoses of HIV annually
What are indicators and determinants in epidemiology?
Causes of health and disease
What can trends in epidemiology demonstrate?
Patterns of health and disease over time
How do statistics help governments and organizations in health?
- Understand patterns of health in groups
- Evaluate health behaviours & strategies
- Determine priority areas for the allocation of government funding
- Determine policy in levels of government
True or False: Epidemiology typically uses positive statistics to improve health status.
False
What types of statistics does epidemiology generally use?
Negative statistics such as birth, deaths, disease incidence
