Module 1 Flashcards
Epidemiology definition
the study of dis-ease frequency in populations. A study’s starting point is always a population
risk equation
Occurrence ÷ Population ÷ years
Population/group
a group of people who share one or more common features. e.g country, ethnicity, gender/sex, diabetes.
Dis-ease
the absence of death, disease, disability, or the inability to do what matters most to you
why do you age standardise
ensures correct denominator for comparison
older people die more often
otherwise may cause confounding
PECOT
population
exposure group
comparison group
Occurance/outcome
time
Incidence
occurrence over time. data is counted forward, always categorical. counts events
Prevalence
occurrence at one point in time. Time is 1. can be categorical or numerical. Occurrence is counted at the point of allocation. can be counted backward. typically state
Categorical measure
yes or no, black and white outcomes
numerical measure
a number that you make into categories based on ranges or you do average for two different groups
Incidence strengths
- clean measure that is only determined by risk in population
- includes events, population, and time
Incidence cons
- can cost more
- can take more time
- can be difficult t measure at times
Prevalence strengths
relatively easy to measure
prevalence cons
- only includes events ad population, less info because less time
- dirty measure that is determined by incidence, cure rate, and death rate
- you lose data from from cures and deaths.
Unblinded study
researchers and participants both know who is which group