Chapter 2: Practical Applications of Epidemiology Flashcards
Causality
Referring to the relationship between cause and effect.
Cause
Act, event, or state of nature that initiates/permits, alone or in conjunction with other causes, a sequence of events resulting in an effect.
Demographic transition
Historical shift from high birth and death rates found in agrarian societies to much lower birth and death rates found in developed countries.
Disappearing disorder
Type of disease or illness that was formerly a common source of morbidity and mortality and that has nearly disappeared in epidemic form.
Dynamic Population
A population that adds new members through immigration and births or loses members through emigration and death.
Epidemiologic transition
A shift in the pattern of morbidity and mortality from causes related primarily to infectious and communicable diseases to causes associated with chronic, degenerative diseases; is accompanied by demographic transition
Fixed Population
A population distinguished by a specific happening and adds no new members; population decreases in size as a result of deaths only.
GINI Index
A common measure of income inequality expressed as a number that ranges from 0 to 1. The closer the index is to one, the greater is the level of inequality.
Health disparities
Differences in the health that occur among population groups, especially differences related to gender, race or ethnicity, education or income.
Operations research
A type of study of the placement of health services in a community and the optimum utilization of such services.
Pathogenesis
Process and mechanism of interaction of disease agent(s) with a host in causing disease.
Persisting disorder
A type of illness or disease that remains common because an effective method of prevention or cure has not yet been discovered.
Prepathogenesis
Period of time that precedes the interaction between an agent of disease and the host.
Primary prevention
Activities that are designed to reduce the occurrence of disease and that occur during the period of prepathogenesis (i.e., before an agent interacts with a host).
Primordial prevention
Actions and measures that inhibit the emergence and establishment of factors such as environmental, economic, social and behavioral conditions, and cultural patterns of living known to increase the risk of disease. Seeks to minimize health hazards in general.
