Lecture 1 8/22/24

Question 1

What is epidemiology?

Answer 1

study of disease in its natural habitat

Question 2

What is descriptive epidemiology?

Answer 2

description of population characteristics, such as occurrence of disease by individual, time, and place

Question 3

What is analytical epidemiology?

Answer 3

examination of etiology and associations by comparing two or more groups

Question 4

How does descriptive epidemiology differ from analytical epidemiology?

Answer 4

descriptive:
-describes patterns and formulates hypotheses
-answers the questions what, who, where, and when?
analytical:
-involves analysis of data to test hypotheses
-answers the questions why and how?

Question 5

What is clinical epidemiology?

Answer 5

application of epidemiological principles to clinical care in terms of diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention

Question 6

What are the three components of the epidemiologic triad?

Answer 6

-agent
-host
-environment

Question 7

What is a direct disease causation pathway?

Answer 7

a known factor is able to directly cause the disease

Question 8

What is an indirect disease causation pathway?

Answer 8

a known factor leads to other steps that eventually cause the disease

Question 9

What are the four types of causal relationships?

Answer 9

-necessary and sufficient
-necessary, but not sufficient
-sufficient, but not necessary
-neither sufficient nor necessary

Question 10

What are the characteristics of a necessary and sufficient causal relationship?

Answer 10

-the identified factor is both necessary for disease to develop and sufficient to cause disease on its own
-without the factor, the disease never develops
-in the presence of the factor, the disease always develops
-rare pattern; rabies is closest example

Question 11

What are the characteristics of a necessary, but not sufficient causal relationship?

Answer 11

-each factor is necessary, but none of the factors alone are sufficient to cause disease
-multiple factors are required, often in a specific sequence

Question 12

What are the characteristics of a sufficient, but not necessary causal relationship?

Answer 12

-the identified factor alone can produce the disease, but so can other factors that are acting alone
-criteria of being sufficient is rarely met by a single factor

Question 13

What are the characteristics of a neither sufficient nor necessary causal relationship?

Answer 13

-each factor by itself is neither sufficient nor necessary to cause the disease
-combinations of different factors cause the disease
-most accurate representation of most chronic diseases