Intro to Population Health Research & Key Concepts

Question 1

Define epidemiology

Answer 1

the study of the DISTRIBUTION and DETERMINANTS of HEALTH RELATED STATES or events in specified populations and the application of this to prevent and control health problems

Question 2

What does ‘distribution’ refer to in epidemiology?

Answer 2

Frequency (count. rate, risk)

E.g. Jul 2017-Jun 2018, 13 234 cases of measles reported in Europe

• 296.5 cases per million in Greece
• 1.5 cases per million in Norway
• 40.9 cases per million in France

This is an example of DESCRIPTIVE epidemiology

Question 3

What does ‘determinants’ refer to in epidemiology?

Answer 3

What causes the observations

e.g. chemical (cig smoke), biological (virus), physical (radiation), behavioural (drink driving), social (coal mining), cultural (breast feeding)

Question 4

What does ‘health related states refer to’?

Answer 4

Epidemiology involves more than just the study of disease states, but includes the study of events, behaviours and conditions

E.g. death, use of health services, accident

Question 5

E.g. smoking

Answer 5

Smoking is a determinant of a health related state

Question 6

What is the pathway for scientific methods?

Answer 6

Observations –> Propose / modify a hypothesis (modify if been rejected) –> Test the hypothesis –> Reject or not reject

Question 7

Can you ever prove a scientific method?

Answer 7

NO - only reject or not reject

E.g. HRT widely used for menopause from 1990s. Safety concerns in 2002/3 led to new guidance

E.g. still testing smoking and lung cancer relationship

Question 8

What stage of scientific method would ‘649 men with lung cancer; 2 were non-smokers’ be?

Answer 8

Observations (number 1)

Question 9

What stage of scientific method would ‘smoking is a factor’ be?

Answer 9

Proposed hypothesis