Intro to epidemiology

Question 1

what is epidemiology

Answer 1

-emphasizes increase inquiry of disease states and events in an objective, scientific, and controlled manner
-Screening, utilizing interventions, and preventing bad health outcomes in the community
-Good health outcomes decreases morbidity and mortality in the population; increases life expectancy, quality of life, economic efficiency, and positive social changes
-The study of the prevalence and incidence of disease frequency in human populations and the application of this study to control health problems

Question 2

human population

Answer 2

-group of people with common characteristic such as residence, age, gender

Question 3

prevalence

Answer 3

-how is disease distributed throughout population
-person- age, sex
-place- urban, US states, near incinerator
-time- june, annual, decade
-The proportion of persons within a population who have the condition of interest is referred to as prevalence.

Question 4

epidemiology is based on 2 fundamental assumptions

Answer 4

-1. Human disease does not occur at random; there are factors which can increase or decrease the likelihood of disease
-2) The factors can be identified by systematic investigation of populations or subgroups within populations

Question 5

incidence rate

Answer 5

measures the rapidity with which newly diagnosed cases of a disease develop

Question 6

types of prevalence

Answer 6

-Point prevalence: the number of cases at a specific point in time.
-Period prevalence: the number of cases over a defined period.
-Lifetime prevalence: the proportion of individuals who have been affected by a disorder at any time during their lives

Question 7

current issues in epidemiology

Answer 7

-Vaping
-Drug abuse (opiates, alcohol)
-Air quality
-Firearms
-Mental health Issues
-PTSD
-Social Media
-Caretaker fatigue
-Obesity

Question 8

sample

Answer 8

subgroup of the whole affected population (all patients with flu in Old Westbury as opposed to all of New York State)

Question 9

mean

Answer 9

average; obtained by adding up all the numbers and dividing by the total (N) of numbers

Question 10

median

Answer 10

center number in the ordered sequence of data points

Question 11

mode

Answer 11

the number which occurs most often in a sequence

Ex: 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 28, 28, 34, 54, 88

Question 12

sampling error

Answer 12

natural variability, not caused on purpose. Ex-If conducting a study on capacity of school buses for middle school-not all 4-6 graders weigh the same or have similar height. Can be mitigated by increasing sample size. (unbiased)

Question 13

selection bias

Answer 13

the sample was not chosen randomly for the study, but the researcher inadvertently had a bias. Ex-a researcher has more female patients in the group receiving a promising medication because they reminded him of his mother who was ill

Question 14

validity

Answer 14

the accuracy of a test. The test measures accurately the information sought by the researcher.

Question 15

reliability

Answer 15

repeated administration of the test leads to the same result

Question 16

independent variable

Answer 16

the one that influences the change (the one being manipulated). Usually graphed on the horizontal axis
-The independent variable causes a change in the dependent variable

Question 17

dependent variable

Answer 17

is the result of applying the independent variable (the one being studied). Usually graphed on the vertical axis

Question 18

range

Answer 18

-difference between highest and lowest value

Question 19

standard deviation

Answer 19

the spread of the data being observed. The range in a normal bell curve: 1 standard deviation 68%, 2 SD 95%, 3 SD 99%

Question 20

nominal data

Answer 20

categories in name only (blood type, eye color), has no particular order

Question 21

ordinal data

Answer 21

has a particular order (pain scale from 1-5)

Question 22

interval data

Answer 22

clear order, data points which will have a mean, mode, or median, can lead to more precise measurements

Question 23

statistical significance

Answer 23

a result which is less likely due to chance. However, it does not mean it is clinically significant

Question 24

sub-discipline of epidemiology

Answer 24

-disease- cancer, cardo, infectious
-exposure- environmental, genetic, nutrition
-population- clinical, geriatric, pregnant

Question 25

epidemiology helps answer questions

Answer 25

-Is the rate of drunk driving accidents increasing?
-What was the cause of the hepatitis outbreak?
-Who is most likely to get the flu?
-Do cell phones cause brain tumors?
-Is echinacea effective in treating the common cold?
-Are cardiac rehabilitation programs worthwhile?
-Does tamoxifen prevent breast cancer in women at high risk?
-Does vaccination cause seizures?
-Do certain genes put people at higher risk for diabetes

Question 26

sequence of epidemiologic investigations

Answer 26

-suspect exposure influences disease occurrence
-form specific hypothesis about exposure disease assoc
-conduct epidemiologic study to measure relationship
-judge whether assoc is valid and causal, considering -> accumulated evidence, chance, bias, confounding, + and - of study design
-eval preventions and tx

Question 27

hypothesis

Answer 27

-A testable statement that tries to explain a set of observations and can be tentatively rejected (or not rejected) through scientific research
-2 criteria:
-1. Hypotheses are statements that project the expected association between two or more measurable variables
-2. Hypotheses carry clear implications for testing stated relations

Question 28

hypotheses are important for

Answer 28

-Advancing epidemiologic research
-Guiding study design, variable selection, sample selection, data analyses, and interpretation of results

Question 29

null hypothesis

Answer 29

-ex. vaping does not cause seizures
-null hypothesis is a statement saying there is no relationship
-there is no relationship between vaping and seizures
-there is no significant difference

Question 30

alternative hypothesis

Answer 30

-there is a significant difference
-ex. vaping does cause seizures
-there is a relationship