Midterm

Question 1

Define Epidemiology

Answer 1

Study of causes, distribution, and control of diseases in populations.

Question 2

Purposes of Epidemiology:

Answer 2

• discover factors affecting disease onset (Agent, Host, Environment)
• investigate causes of health outcomes
• identify populations at greater risk
• evaluate effectiveness of health programs and services

Question 3

Major characteristics of the epidemiological transition:

Answer 3

• shift from infectious diseases and high infant mortality to chronic diseases in older populations
• increase in life expectancy as more children survive to adulthood

Question 4

What is the expanded epidemiological triad of disease?

Answer 4

Host, Agent, Environment, and Vector

Question 5

What is a vector?

Answer 5

An intermediate organism that does not have the disease, but transmits it from one host to another.

Ex: mosquito= Malaria

Question 6

What are the different ways that disease spread?

Answer 6

Endemic, Epidemic, Pandemic

Question 7

Endemic

Answer 7

Permanently- disease or condition present among the population at all times.
Associated with a particular region

Question 8

Epidemic

Answer 8

• Occurs rapidly and spread Ex: Ebola
• disease occurrence in a population that is in excess of what is expected in a given time and place.
• may spread to nearby locations

Question 9

Pandemic

Answer 9

An epidemic that spreads across world regions

Question 10

What are the different epidemiology study types?

Answer 10

Observation (descriptive and analytic) and experimental

Question 11

Observational and sub catageories

Answer 11

Descriptive= when, where, who. (Time place person)
Not a controlled study.

Analytic=How, why
Manipulate/control
Randomized

Question 12

Difference between incidence and prevalence.

Answer 12

Incidence= measures new cases as the occur 
Prevalence= measures cases already present new and existing.

Bathtub

Cure=decreased deaths=increase prevalence

Question 13

How is prevalence affected when chronic diseases are controlled?

Answer 13

When an incurable chronic disease is controlled it lowers death rate, but raises the prevalence rate.

Ex: diabetes

Question 14

Incidence =

Answer 14

Getting a disease

Question 15

Mortality Rate=

Answer 15

Dying from disease, severity

Question 16

Crude mortality=

Answer 16

Measures the RISK OF DYING

Question 17

Cause-Specific Mortality=

Answer 17

Measures the RISK OF DYING FROM A SPECIFIC DISEASE or cause

Question 18

Case Fatality=

Answer 18

Measures the severity of disease for those who have it

Question 19

Proportionate Mortality=

Answer 19

Of all deaths, what proportion was caused by a specific disease

Question 20

What are the 3 types of prevention?

Answer 20

Primary= preventing the initial development of disease

Secondary= early detection of disease to reduce severity and complication

Tertiary= reducing the impact of disease already present

Question 21

What are the disease requirements?

Answer 21

1. Disease must be serious
2. There must be an effective therapy available if detected
3. The natural history of the disease must be understood clearly enough to know whether or not it is detectable early enough so that the outcome can be altered
4. The disease or condition must not be too rare

Question 22

What is the relationship of prevalence and predictive value?

Answer 22

Prev increases= +PV increases
- decreases

Prev decreases= + decreases
- increases

Question 23

What are the assumptions behind life table analysis?

Answer 23

1. No secular change in the effectiveness of treatment or in survivorship over study period
2. The survival experience of people who are lost to follow-up is the same as the experience of those who are followed.