0317 - Causation - EG

Question 1

What are some models for causal inference?

Answer 1

epidemiological triad; causal pies, causal webs

Question 2

What are Rothmans 3 classification of causal inference for exposure?

Answer 2

1. Sufficient cause - a factor or combination that will eventually produce disease.2. Component cause - a factor that contributes toward causation but not sufficient itself.3. Necessary cause - any agent that is required to develop a disease

Question 3

What are causal webs?

Answer 3

diagrams to show the interconnections of causal components of disease, often used in multifactorial diseases to show both direct and indirect causes

Question 4

What is primary prevention?

Answer 4

Preventative methods on healthy individuals to prevent disease long before development of risk factors.

Question 5

What is secondary prevention?

Answer 5

selection of individuals at high risk and use of screening or intervention to prevent disease onset.

Question 6

What is tertiary prevention?

Answer 6

patients with established disease being treated to prevent deterioration.

Question 7

List the series of steps in Bradford Hill Criteria

Answer 7

1. temporality (cause precede effect)2. biological plausibility3. consistency (repeatability)4. strength of association (association not due to chance)5. biological gradient/dose response6. specificity (of exposure to effect)7. coherence (does not conflict with current understanding)8. experimental evidence that supports?9. analogy to other similar exposures and outcomes