3 - Epidemiology Flashcards
_____ is considered the basic science of public health
epidemiology
why is epidemiology the basic science of public health
it is a quantitative basic science which uses causal reasoning based on hypothesis development and testing, pertaining to the occurrence and prevention of morbidity and mortality
what three things is epidemiology concerned with
occurrence, distribution, and determinants of disease
of health related states or events
t/f - when discussing the concerns of environmental epidemiology - “disease” may also mean injuries, disability, or death which may be the result of ones environment or occupation
true
main use of epidemiology with regards to environmental public health
search for the causal relationship between an exposure and a disease or an event (analytical epidemiology)
what is environmental epidemiology
study of diseases and health conditions occurring in the population that are linked to environmental factors
objectives of epidemiology related to environmental public health
determine the extent of disease in a popuylation based on an environmental concern
identify patterns and trends in disease occurrence
identify the causes of disease
evaluate the effectiveness of measures that prevent and treat disease
Epidemiologic triad of disease
triad of interaction between the host, infectious or other type of agent, and environment.
the environment promotes the exposure to the agent.
the agent could be an infectious pathogen, or. a chemical or physical threat
three main historical figures in environmental epidemiology
Hippocrates - described disease as caused by environmental and host factors not the supernatural
sir percival pott - noted the large amount of chimney sweepers who contracted scrotal cancer - identified soot as the causal factor
john snow - conducted an epidemiologic investigation to find the source of cholera - contaminated water source
incidence rate
incidence rate - number of new cases of a disease that occur during a specified period of time in a population at risk
prevalence rate
number of affected persons present in the population at a specific time divided by the number of people in the population at that time
(the proportion of the population affected by the disease at that. time)
what are the two types of epidemiological studies and what are they used for
descriptive - characterize the amount and distribution of disease in a population - develop a hypothesis like who, when, where, what
analytic - test the hypothesis and find the cause. answers the how and why
during a cross sectional study, what are the four possible groups for exposure and disease
exposed and have disease
exposed without disease
not exposed, has disease
not exposed, do not have disease
causation requires association, association does not require causation - true or false
true
if an observed association is true, is it causal?
no - it could be due to a confounding variable
direct causal factor
causes the outcome without any intermediate effects
what epidemiological example is a necessary and sufficient causal factor
rabies - to get rabies you must have been bit by a rapid animal
