1: History & Scope of Epidemiology Flashcards
Epidemiology derived from Greek words:
epi- on, upon, or befall
demos- the people
logos- the study
The study of what befalls the population
Definition of Epidemiology
concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability and mortality in populations
Define Determinants
factors or events that are capable of bringing about a change in health. The search for causes and other factors of health-related states or events
Examples of Determinants
Health-related states or events-
Search for Determinants-
Health-related states or events: Disease states (biologic and chemical agents) and Conditions associated with Health (physical activity, nutrition, environmental poisoning, seat belt use, use of health services, etc)
Search for Determinants: Anthrax outbreak, Hantavirus outbreak, etc.
Define Distribution
study of frequency and pattern of health events in the population
Define Distribution Frequency
number, and number relation to the population
Define Distribution Pattern
the health-related state or event by person, place, and time characteristics
Disease Distribution Examples
- CHD death rates and stroker higher in African-Americans than other races
- HIV rates in UT from 2000-2010 40x higher in African-born immigrants than Caucasian males
Define Morbidity
designates illness
Define Mortality
refers to deaths that occur in a population or other group
Aims and Levels of Epidemiology
- DESCRIBE the health status of populations
- EXPLAIN the etiology of disease
- PREDICT the occurrence of disease
- CONTROL the occurrence of disease (intervention/prevention)
Central activity of epidemiology
quantification
Epidemic
a spike in cases from what you would expect to see
Endemic
what you would expect to see in a population
Infectious Disease Epidemic qualifications
- a single case of a long absent communicable disease
- first invasion of a communicable disease
- two cases of such a disease associated in time and place
Infectious Disease Triangle
Center: TIME
Top: ENVIRONMENT
Left: HOST
Right: AGENT