Descriptive Epidemiology

Question 1

Descriptive studies

Answer 1

I. Used to identify a health problem

II. Characterized the amount and distribution of disease.

Question 2

Analytic studies

Answer 2

• Follows descriptive studies

- Used to identify the cause of the health problem for example hypothesis testing.

Question 3

Objective of Descriptive Epidemiology

Answer 3

1. To evaluate and compare trends in health and disease.
2. To provide a basis for planning, provision, and evaluation of health services.
3. To identify problems for analytic studies for example generate hypothesis

Question 4

The three characteristics of epidemiology

Answer 4

person, place, and time

Question 5

trends of childhood

Answer 5

developmental problems, e.g., congenital birth defects, infectious diseases such as ear infections, measles

Question 6

trends of teenage years

Answer 6

unplanned pregnancy, substance abuse

Question 7

trends of adults

Answer 7

accidental injury, homicide, suicide, HIV

Question 8

trends of older adults

Answer 8

heart disease, cancer

Question 9

reasons for age associatons/trends

Answer 9

1. validity of diagnosis
2. Multimodality
3. Latency effects
4. Biologic clock and behavioral phenomena

Question 10

validity of diagnosis

Answer 10

Age specific incidence and mortality rate among elderly are often inaccurate.

• multiple sources of morbidity may afflict a single elderly individual.
• classification errors

Question 11

Multimodality

Answer 11

there can be a linear distribution, and bimodal distribution.

Question 12

latency effects

Answer 12

There are two different definitions for latency period:

1. It’s between the onset of exposure and the appearance of clinical symptoms.
2. Between start of the disease process.
   (pathogenesis) .

Question 13

Biologic clock and behavioral phenomena

Answer 13

Waning of the immune system
– increased susceptibility to disease

• Aging
– appearance of conditions believed to
have genetic basis
– Huntington’s disease

• Behavioral Phenomena
- speeding is more common amongst young adults than older ones.

Question 14

sex differences

Answer 14

All cause age specific mortality rates higher for men than women
- social factors
-may have biological basis
Female paradox
- Female age standardized morbidity rates for many conditions are higher than male rates
-Higher rates for pain, asthma, lung difficulties, depression

Question 15

Reasons for patterns of chronic heart disease (CHD) difference among women

Answer 15

Important biologic parameters as the basis for the observed differences:

1. differences in hormonal profiles such as estrogen production.
2. Lower incidence before menopause

Question 16

In general married people are found to be ___ and have lower _____ and _____

Answer 16

healthier; morbidity and mortality

Question 17

What is protective factor of marital status

Answer 17

an environment conducive to health, e.g. psychological and social support.

Question 18

What is selective factor of marital status

Answer 18

People who marry may be healthier to begin with

Question 19

Race is a ____ and ____ construct

Answer 19

social and culture

Question 20

What is observed in mortality and morbidity graphs according to race and ethnicity

Answer 20

If you look at third and fourth highest diseases for each race, there’s a variation observed. Just like we do with any other descriptive analysis, we ask why we observe these differences?

Question 21

Why is there a lower rate of CHD among Mexican Americans?

Answer 21

• Dietary preferences

- Social support mechanisms

Question 22

What did the San Antonio Heart study show?

Answer 22

Found higher rates of diabetes among Mexican Americans.

Question 23

What makes the Hispanic population in the U.S different from usual trends that are observed in Epidemiology?

Answer 23

Usually there’s an inverse association between socioeconomic status and mortality, but this is not observed in Hispanic Americans. They have a low SES, but have lower mortality rate.

A good number of the older generations go back to their home country and there is no record of their death. This creates a “Salmon Bias Effect” - they are statistically immortal.

Question 24

What demographic of people usually migrate to the United States?

Answer 24

Healthier, younger persons usually form the majority of migrants
-Explanation for Hispanic Mortality Paradox.

Question 25

Acculturation hypothesis

Answer 25

Immigrants’ health profile converge with that of native born

-Migrant studies

Question 26

How is low social class related to excess mortality, morbidity, and disability rates?

Answer 26

-poor housing, crowded conditions, poor education, low income, and incidence of severe mental illness.

Question 27

What are the types of place comparisons?

Answer 27

Geographic variations, urban/rural differences, and localized occurrence of disease.

Question 28

World Health Organization(WHO)

Answer 28

tracks international variations in rates of disease through the country to observe international comparisons of disease frequency.

• variations are attributable to climate, culture, dietary habits, population density, poverty level and health care access.

Question 29

Within country variations in rates of disease may be due to ..

Answer 29

variations in climate, geology, latitude, pollution, and ethnic and racial concentrations.

In U.S, comparisons can be made by region, state, and or county.

Question 30

Urban diseases and mortality are associated with …?

Answer 30

Crowding, pollution, and poverty

Question 31

What increases with decreasing urbanization?

Answer 31

Mortality, CVD mortality, poor health status, inadequate access to health care

Question 32

Localized place comparisons

Answer 32

Disease patterns are due to unique environmental or social conditions found in particular area of interest.

Example is fluorosis

Question 33

Reasons for place variation in disease

Answer 33

1. gene/environment interaction
2. Environmental factors such as chemical agents linked to cancer and infectious disease vector
3. Influence of climate such as melanoma whcih is related to latitude, and hansen’s disease