Lecture 1 (Sept 6) Flashcards
Research
Activities designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge; i.e., theories, principles, relationships, or the information on which these are
based, that can be confirmed or refuted by recognized methods of
observation, experiment, and inference (Porta, 2018)
Health Research
Philosophical: An all-encompassing term that some engaged in it prefer to use (rather than medical or biomedical research) to describe all forms of biological, behavioral, and/or social science research on all aspects of human health and
disease (Porta, 2018).
Applied: The process of systematically investigating a single, well-defined aspect of physical, mental, or social wellbeing (textbook, page 1)
*Porta & Last (2018). A Dictionary of Public Health (2 ed.)
process single
Epidemiology
is the branch of public health that focuses on studying the distribution, patterns, and causes of diseases, health conditions, and events in populations. It aims to understand how diseases spread, who is at risk, and what factors contribute to health outcomes.
(Epi)-demos-logos
Greek meaning upon
Epi-(demos)-logos
People
Logos
Study
Biostatistics
The application of statistics to biological and medical problems. This is one of the basic sciences of public health, applied in the analysis of vital and health statistics and in the use of statistical tests for associations, correlation, significance levels, etc., in
epidemiology, toxicology, environmental health sciences, and all other public health
sciences (Porta, 2018).
Health:
“a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO)
➢ Happens because of (risk or preventive) factors
Determinants of health:
The biological, behavioral, social, environmental, political,
and other factors that influence the health status of individuals and populations
Determine defines as
> To cause, affect, or control
To give direction or tendency to
To impel
Health research:
The investigation of health and disease or any of the factors that contribute to the presence or absence of physical, mental, and social health among individuals, families, communities, nations, or the world population
➢ To understand what determines the health
Types of Health Research
> Clinical research
Population health research
Biological (basic medical) research
Clinical research
Evaluates the best ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat
adverse health issues that adversely affect individuals and families
➢ Medicine: the practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating health problems in individuals and
families
Medicine:
The practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating health problems in individuals and
families
Population health research
focuses on the health outcomes and the
determinants of health in groups of humans (populations)
Public health: the actions taken to promote health and prevent illnesses, injuries, and early
deaths at the population level
Public Health
The actions taken to promote health and prevent illnesses, injuries, and early
deaths at the population level
Biological (basic medical) research
Looks at changes at human cellular level that can be
related to the health outcomes
Identify the ‘Type’ of Health Research
1. Exploring whether IL-6 selectively stimulates fat metabolism in human skeletal muscle
Biological