M101 Term 2 W4 - epidemiology Flashcards
What is the function of epidemiology?
to improve the health of individuals and populations
to provide evidence to guide public health policy and clinical medicine with an overall objective of all health care professionals and all health sciences
To protect, restore and promote health
What does collective health involve?
collective action by society
collaborative working between physicians, nurses, engineers, environmental scientists, health educators, social workers, nutritionists, administrators, and an effective partnership with all levels of government
In which eight ways does epidemiology guide public health policy and clinical medicine?
it describes the spectrum and extent of disease in the population
it identifies factors that increase or decrease the risk of disease
it looks at the natural history and prognosis of disease
it monitors and predicts disease trends in the population
it provides evidence for developing public health policy and making regulatory decisions
it evaluates the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic interventions
it evaluates public health programme
it evaluates the effectiveness of health services
What is the equation for calculating the prevalence of a disease?
No. of existing cases at a specified time
/
No. of persons in the population at that time
What is the equation for calculating the incidence rate of a disease?
No. of new cases of a disease in a defined population, within a specified time period
/
No. of persons at risk (or person-time) of developing the disease during that period
What are the three different types of prevalences?
Point prevalence
Period prevalence
Lifetime prevalence / cumulative incidence
Give an example of a point prevalence q
do you have backache now?
Give an example of a period prevalence q
have you had backache in the last 12 months?
Give an example of a lifetime prevalence q
have you ever had backache?
What are the three factors that descriptive epidemiology takes into account?
person - who
place - where
time - when
What are the factors about the person - who in descriptive epidemiology?
age, gender
race and ethnicity
marital and family status
social class / education / occupation
What are the factors about the place - where in descriptive epidemiology?
physical environment
ecological environment
social and cultural environment
How do we find out about the place - where in descriptive epidemiology?
Disease distribution maps
Clustering in time and place
How is time relevant to disease analysis?
Secular (long-term) trends
Short-term trends
Cyclical trends
Seasonal trends / variations
What are the two main types of epidemiological studies?
Observational studies
Intervention studies