13. Epidemiology Flashcards
the study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related states or events in specified populations
epidemiology
seeks to describe the occurrence of a disease in terms of person, place, and time (who, what, and where)
descriptive epidemiology
factors, exposures, characteristics, behaviors, and contexts that determine (or influence) the patterns of events (how and why)
determinant
focuses on investigating the cause and association (how all aspects affect health)
analytic epidemiology
broad consideration of many levels of potential determinants
ecological approach
determine who has the disease and where and when the disease occurs`
distribution
occurs when the rate of disease, injury, or other condition exceeds the usual (endemic) level of that condition
epidemic
4 basic concepts in epidemiology
- measures morbidity and mortality
- epidemiological triable, web of causality, and the ecologic model
- social epidemiology
- levels of preventive interventions
morbidity vs mortality
- morbidity: disease rates
- mortality: death rates
ratio where the denominator includes the numerator and expressed as a percent
proportion
measure the frequency of health events in a defined population and usually in a specific time
rate
probability that an event will occur within a specified period of time
risk
proportion of persons who are exposed to an agent and develop the disease
attack rate
new cases in a population at a specific time
incidence
number of existing disease in a population at a specific time (new + old)
prevalence
What factors affect prevalence?
- incidence (new cases) add to the prevalence
- people who either recover or die from the disease are removed from prevalence
model that spans a broader spectrum of systems and etiological factors; includes biological, mental, behavioral, social, and environmental factors
ecologic model
studies social distribution and social determinants of health and disease
social epidemiology
What social determinants does social epidemiology examine?
- neighborhoods
- communities
- employment
- family conditions
Ex. of primary prevention
- safe air and water
- car seats/seat belts
- folic acid supplements in pregnancy
Ex. of secondary prevention
- health screenings
- family Hx (identify if at risk)
Ex. of tertiary prevention
- medical treatments
- physical and occupational therapy
- rehabilitation
the measure of consistency of a screening tool
reliability
does the screening tool measure what we really think it does
validity
indicates how accurate the test identifies those with the condition or traits; true positive
sensitivity
indicates how accurate the test identifies those without the condition or traits; true negative
specificity
How is epidemiological data collected?
through surveys (ex. national hospital discharge data and youth behavioral risk surveys)
4 ways to measure time in descriptive epidemiology
- secular trends (long term patterns that can reflect social behavior or health practices)
- point epidemic (time and space related pattern)
- cyclical pattern (ex. seasonal fluctuation like the flu)
- event-related clusters (measured from point of exposure or event)
how to find a rate
rate = event/population x constant
