MODULE 1: Measuring health and dis-ease in populations Flashcards
Lecture 2
What is epidemiological thinking?
The study of how frequent diseases occur in a population and the measurement of the causes of diseases between populations.
It emphasizes population over individual cases.
What does ‘dis-ease occurrence’ refer to?
How frequent new cases of people transition from healthy to sick over a period of time.
Example: 100 COVID-19 cases rising every month.
What is the ‘denominator’ in epidemiological studies?
The total amount of people in a population, including everyone whether they have the disease or not.
It is crucial for calculating disease rates.
What is the ‘numerator’ in epidemiological studies?
The number of people whom dis-ease occurs.
It represents the cases of the disease in the population.
What is age standardisation?
A method used by epidemiologists to make fair and equal comparisons of diseases between two populations.
It accounts for differences in age distribution between populations.
Why is age standardisation important?
It allows for accurate comparisons of disease rates between populations with different age structures.
Example: Younger populations may show lower disease rates not due to health, but age distribution.
Fill in the blank: Epidemiologists use ________ to apply a fixed, hypothetical age distribution for comparisons.
[standard population]
True or False: Epidemiological thinking starts with individual disease cases.
False
It starts with a population.
What does the term ‘standard population’ refer to?
A fixed, hypothetical age distribution used for comparisons between different populations.
It helps to control for age-related discrepancies in health outcomes.
What does GATE stand for?
Graphic Approach to Epidemiology
What does the triangle represent in the GATE framework?
The entire population in the study
What do the circles represent in the GATE framework?
Sub-groups created based on exposure
What are the two groups in the exposure comparison?
- Exposure group
- Comparison group
What is the exposure group?
The group that is exposed to the factor being studied
What is the comparison group?
The group that is not exposed to the factor being studied
What does the square represent in the GATE framework?
The numerators which represent disease outcomes
What is a cohort study?
A type of epidemiology study that tracks a group of people over time
What does PECOT stand for in the context of cohort studies?
- P → Study Population
- E → Exposure Group
- C → Comparison Group
- O → Outcome
- T → Time
What does the ‘P’ in PECOT represent?
Study Population
What does the ‘E’ in PECOT represent?
Exposure Group
What does the ‘C’ in PECOT represent?
Comparison Group
What does the ‘O’ in PECOT represent?
Outcome
What does the ‘T’ in PECOT represent?
Time
What is the significance of the GATE frame?
It consists of a triangle, circle, square, and arrows for measurement over time
How do you calculate ego?
By the number of disease outcomes in the exposed group / total number of people with the disease
How do you calculate cgo?
By the number of disease outcomes in the comparison group / total number of people who don’t have the disease
Can there be multiple exposure groups in a study?
Yes, but usually only one comparison group
