BIOL 437 Week One Part 1

Question 1

what is epidemiology?

Answer 1

• the study of what happens to populations
• exact definition has changed over time
• population level vs. individual level evaluation
• distribution, determinants, health-related events, specified populations

Question 2

epidemic or outbreak

Answer 2

-disease occurrence among a population that is in excess of what is expected in a given TIME and PLACE

Question 3

cluster

Answer 3

-group of cases in a specific time and place that might be more than expected

Question 4

endemic

Answer 4

• disease or condition present among a population at all times
• ex. influenza

Question 5

pandemic

Answer 5

• a disease or condition that spreads across extensive regions (countries or continents)
• ex. covid-19

Question 6

rate

Answer 6

• number of cases occurring during a specific period

- always dependent on the size of the population during that period

Question 7

distribution

Answer 7

1. Frequency

2. Pattern

Question 8

frequency

Answer 8

• number of cases of a specific disease

- relationship of number of cases to population size

Question 9

patterns

Answer 9

1. Time
2. Person
3. Place

Question 10

time

Answer 10

• seasonal
• weekly
• daily
• hourly

Question 11

place

Answer 11

• geographic variation
• rural vs. urban
• worksite and school locations

Question 12

personal

Answer 12

-demographic factors relating to risk of injury or illness or disability
>age, gender, marital status, socio-economic status, behaviour, environmental exposure

Question 13

determinants

Answer 13

-causes and other factors affecting the occurrence of disease and health related events
1. Analytic epidemiology
2. Epidemiological studies
>answer how and why
>evaluate how groups with different rates of disease differ (looking for risk factors)

Question 14

health-related states or events

Answer 14

• originally focused only on epidemics of communicable disease
• now non-communicable also (ex. cancers)
• epidemiological methods now applied to any health-related state or event

Question 15

sub-disciplines

Answer 15

• infectious
• chronic
• maternal and child health
• injury
• birth defects
• environmental
• occupational
• nutrition
• genetic markers
• health policy
• health behaviour

Question 16

who is the ‘patient’

Answer 16

• epidemiologist: community

- physician: the individual

Question 17

epidemiologist

Answer 17

• strives to identify source of exposure causing illness
• determine the potential for further spread
• determine interventions to prevent more cases or recurrences

Question 18

application

Answer 18

• use descriptive and analytical epidemiological methods
• use experience
• use epidemiological judgement
• use of understanding of local conditions
• diagnose health of a community
• propose practical public health interventions

Question 19

additional characteristics of epidemiology

Answer 19

• data driven
• systematic and unbiased approach
• observation and valid comparison groups
• use methods from other areas
• identifies risk factors
• identifies targets for preventive health care

Question 20

what are risk factors?

Answer 20

• a behaviour, environmental exposure or inherent human characteristic that is associated with an important health condition
• condition with increased probability

Question 21

basic sciences of public health

Answer 21

1. Quantitative
2. Casual reasoning
3. Provides basic for directing practical and appropriate public health action

Question 22

what do epidemiologists do?

Answer 22

• identify risk factors
• describe natural history of disease
• provide public health planning
• act as a resource person
• monitor disease
• communicable information

Question 23

early epidemics

Answer 23

• greatly feared
• considered to be caused by metaphysical explanations or God’s will
• emphasis on establishing a more systematic way to explain disease

Question 24

beginning of epidemiology

Answer 24

• empirical, observational studies

- focused primarily on infectious diseases only

Question 25

sign

Answer 25

• something you can measure

- objective

Question 26

symptom

Answer 26

• subjective measure

- ex. headache

Question 27

epidemiology now

Answer 27

• integral part of clinical science

- key component of the science of public health

Question 28

epidemiologic transition

Answer 28

-describes changing patterns of:
>population age distributions 
>mortality 
>fertility 
>life expectancy 
>causes of death

Question 29

4 major epidemiological transitions since beginning of agriculture

Answer 29

1. Emergence of infectious disease and diseases related to nutrition
2. Change from major epidemics to endemic disease
3. Change in disease patterns from infectious to chronic to degenerative
4. New diseases and re-emergence of infectious ones and rapid spread

Question 30

emergence of diseases

Answer 30

-10,000 years ago animals were domesticated and food was produced
>nutritional deficiencies, zoonoses and increased contact with disease vectors

Question 31

zoonoses

Answer 31

-transmission from one species to another

Question 32

major epidemics to endemic disease

Answer 32

• human immune systems and pathogens evolved

- physical and genetic changes minimized disease effects

Question 33

infectious to chronic to degenerative

Answer 33

• improved nutrition, clinical medicine, and public health
• cancer and CVD emerge (longer lifespan, sedentary)
• particularly in the developed world

Question 34

new diseases and re-emergence

Answer 34

• increased globalization

eg. Sars, Zika, Ebola, covid-19