Exam 1 Flashcards
What is Epidemiology
The study of health -related trends in population
-investigate and evaluate interventions
-Determine causes of health and disease
-monitor health of population
What is the epidemiologic triad?
study of the relationship between the agent, (who causes the problem), host (susceptible person affected), and environment (factors that hinder or air agents of disease)
What is the wheel of causation?
Genetic core
host
environment (social, physical, biological)
Health status is determined by: interaction between host and environment with or without agent identified
diseases r conditions can have multiple or no specific agent
What is Risk?
The probability that a disease or illness will happen in a group of people that do not have it
What are risk factors?
Characteristics or events that are known to increase the chance of a disease or illness that will develop
Ex: if you smoke, you have a higher risk of getting cancer. Smoking is the risk factor
What is epidemic?
when there is a higher than normal incidence of disease
What is outbreak
Similar to epidemic, but usually more localized
What is pandemic?
an epidemic that occurs in multiple countries or continents
What is endemic?
Constant or “normal” occurrence of a disease in a population
“the flu”
What is the attack rate?
of people exposed to an agent who develop the disease / the total number of ppl expossed
How can we prevent and control an outbreak?
-establish existence
-describe outbreak in relationship to person, place, and time
-determine cause
-implement a plan of control or prevention of future outbreaks
-evaluate results
Why do we establish rates?
Allows us to understand:
-how serious it is
-who does it affect
-how it spreads
-what services are needed
-how do we address needs
What is crude rate?
Measurment of the occurrence of the health problem or condition being investigated in the entire population
What is adjusted rate?
statistical procedure that removes the effects of differences in the composition of a populate (example age when comparing one with another)
What is incidence rate?
measuring of the probability that people without a certain condition will develop that condition over a period of time
What is incidence rate?
measure of the probability that people without a certain condition will develop that condition over a period of time
Prevalence rate
measures the # of ppl in a given population that have an existing condition at a given point in time
What is an incident?
of new cases in the population at a specific time / population total * 1000
= the number of cases per thousand
What is prevalence?
of existing cases in the population at a specific time / population total x 1000
= cases per thousand
Mortality Rate
death rates, common incidence rates calculated for public health purposes
Attributable risk
difference between incidence rates in an exposed group vs unexposed group
Relative risk ratio
ratio of incidence rate in the exposed group and the incidence rate in the nonexposed group
What is infant mortality rate?
of infant deaths before age 1 / # of live births in the same year x 1000
= death per 1000
What is sensitivity?
testing the accuracy of who HAS a disease
ex: test with 99% sensitivity would correctly identify 990/1000 as screening positive
What is specificity?
testing the accuract of who does NOT have the disease
ex: 95% specificity would correctly identify 950/1000 as not having the disease