Epidemiology Flashcards
Chapter three
epidemiology
population medicine
epidemiologist
concerned with the course of disease in a population and collect information/data on it
epidemic
unexpected large number of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or event in a particular population.
outbreak
similar to epidemic except it is used for more limited geographical areas
endemic
disease that occurs at an expected level in a population or in certain locations
pandemic
outbreak over a wide geographical area
who is considered the father of modern epidemiology
john snow (helped solve the cholera epidemic in 1850s)
define population at risk
those susceptible to particular disease or condition
purpose of collecting disease rates
to compare outbreaks of disease at different times or places
what is the incidence rate?
new health-related events or cases divided by population at risk
what is the attack rate?
incidence rate calculated for a particular population for a single disease out break
what is incidence rate most commonly used for
acute disease rates
what is the prevalence rate?
number of new and old cases in a given period of time divided by the total number in population
what is the prevalence rate most commonly used for
chronic disease rates
define crude rates
denominator which includes TOTAL population
define age-adjusted rates
used to make comparisons of relative risks across groups and over time when groups differ in age structure
reportable vs notafiable
reportable: disease of the local health concern (state-regulated)
notifiable: conditions that warrant monitoring (CDC and CSTE regulated)
what are considered to be the standardized measures
mortality stats
life expectancy
years of potential life lost
disability-adjusted life lost
heath adjusted life expectancy
define mortality stats
most reliable
depends on age, sex, race, history
define life expectancy
average number of years a person from a specific cohort is expected to live
what ages are of most concern when looking at life expectancy
birth, 65, 75
define years of potential life lost (YPLL)
number of years lost when death occurs before life expectancy
equation to determine years of potential life lost
life expectancy - age of death = YPLL
define disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
measures the burden of disease
one DALY = one year of life lost
define health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)
number of years of a health life is expected, on average, in a given population
what does secondary data mean?
data collected by someone else, possible for another original purpose
what is a descriptive study?
describes the extent of disease in regards to a person, place, and time
what is a single epidemic curve used for
used to calculate incubation period, symptoms, and cause
what are the two types of analytical studies
observational: natural course of events
experimental: control variables to answer a specific research question
criteria to claim causation
strength of study
dose-response
consistency
specificity
temporality
biological plausibility
