Lecture 1 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is epidemiology?
The study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems.
What is population health?
The health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.
What aspects does socioeconomic status incorporate?
Occupation, income, education levels, Living standards measures - Economic Living Standard Index (survey), and by deprivation - NZiDep and NZDep.
What is NZDep?
Area based measure of deprivation - looking at factors like access to internet, qualifications, employment, income, access to a car etc.
Areas of approximately 100-200 people categorised into deciles.
1 = least deprived.
10 = most deprived.
What is absolute poverty?
“income level below which a minimum nutritionally adequate diet plus essential non-food requirements is not affordable. The amount of income a person, family, or group needs to purchase an absolute amount of the basic necessities of life.”
What is relative poverty?
“the amount of income a person, family, or group needs to purchase relative amount of basic necessities of life; these basic necessities are identified relative to each society and economy.”
What are the 2 axes of health in NZ?
Socioeconomic status and ethnicity.
What are the social determinants of health?
- Age, sex, and hereditary factors.
- Individual lifestyle factors (does the person smoke, drink alcohol, or live a healthy lifestyle?).
- Social and community influences (how common is smoking in the community?).
- Living and working conditions (insulation on houses, employment and type of work e.g. factory, office etc.).
- General SES, cultural and environmental conditions (smog, weather in a country).
What 2 types of disease can contribute to the ‘burden of disease’?
- Communicable.
- Non-communicable.
- Injury (don’t focus on).
What do DALYs measure?
DALY = disability adjusted life year.
DALYs measure the burden of disease - sum of DALYs measure the gap between current health status and an ideal health situation (where the entire population lives to an advanced age, free of disease and disability).
Demographic transition
Showing changes in birth and death rates and total population over time.
Epidemiological transition
Showing changes in disease patterns over time.
What are some of the results of an ageing population?
As a country becomes more developed, people generally live longer.
What does disease occurrence tell us about?
Health status, trends over time, impacts amongst different groups.
Measures of occurrence
Prevalence, incidence proportion, incidence rate.
What is prevalence?
The proportion of a defined population who have a disease at a single point in time.
People with disease @ point in time/
Total population @ point in time
What is incidence proportion?
The occurrence of new cases of an outcome in a population during a specific period of follow-up.
Number of people who develop disease/
Number of people at risk at start of follow up period
What is incidence rate?
Number of people who develop disease/
Number of person years at risk
What does PECOT stand for?
P = population (sample)
E = exposure group
C = comparison group
O = outcome
T = time
When would we need to do age standardization?
To allow populations to be compared when the age profiles of the populations are different.
2 criteria:
- The age structures of the population differ.
- The disease risk vary by age.
