Intro to epidemiology Flashcards

1
Q

what is epidemiology

A

-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

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2
Q

human population

A

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

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3
Q

prevalence

A

-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.

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4
Q

epidemiology is based on 2 fundamental assumptions

A

-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

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5
Q

incidence rate

A

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

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6
Q

types of prevalence

A

-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

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7
Q

current issues in epidemiology

A

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

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8
Q

sample

A

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

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9
Q

mean

A

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

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10
Q

median

A

center number in the ordered sequence of data points

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11
Q

mode

A

the number which occurs most often in a sequence

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

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12
Q

sampling error

A

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)

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13
Q

selection bias

A

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

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14
Q

validity

A

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

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15
Q

reliability

A

repeated administration of the test leads to the same result

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16
Q

independent variable

A

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

17
Q

dependent variable

A

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

18
Q

range

A

-difference between highest and lowest value

19
Q

standard deviation

A

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

20
Q

nominal data

A

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

21
Q

ordinal data

A

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

22
Q

interval data

A

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

23
Q

statistical significance

A

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

24
Q

sub-discipline of epidemiology

A

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

25
epidemiology helps answer questions
-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
26
sequence of epidemiologic investigations
-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
27
hypothesis
-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
28
hypotheses are important for
-Advancing epidemiologic research -Guiding study design, variable selection, sample selection, data analyses, and interpretation of results
29
null hypothesis
-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
30
alternative hypothesis
-there is a significant difference -ex. vaping does cause seizures -there is a relationship