Principle of epidemiology

Question 1

What are the three descriptive epidemiology principles?

Answer 1

1)Measures of outcome occurrence
(measures of disease frequency)
2)Causation (aetiology)
3) Measure of risk

Question 2

When measuring the outcome occurrence(measure of disease frequency) what are things that are measured?

Answer 2

Prevalence
Incidence
Morbidity
Mortality

Question 3

What does prevalance mean?

Answer 3

Number of cases of a disease in a given population at a specific time or period.It describes a group at a certain point in time.

Question 4

How do you calculate prevalence rate?

Answer 4

Number of persons with a condtion(disease)/Total number in the group

Question 5

What is incidence in epidemiology?

Answer 5

A number of new cases of a disease that develop over a specified period of time as a proportion of the population concerned.

Question 6

How is the incidence rate calculated?

Answer 6

Number or persons developing a condition(disease)/Total number at risk (per unit of time)

Question 7

If recovery and death rates are high what does that mean?

Answer 7

This indicates the chroncity is high, meaning their is high prevalence.This means more people have the disease.

Question 8

What are the two types of prevalence rates?

Answer 8

Point prevalence- prevalence measured at on point in time

Period prevalence–prevalence measured over an interval of time.

Question 9

What does causation(etiology) means in epidemiology ?

Answer 9

This the backstory of the disease.Epidemiological research into etiology relates to the early stages in the natural history of disease.

Question 10

What are the problems of etiological investigation of disease?

Answer 10

1) Absence of known agent
2) Multi factorial nature of etiology
3) Long latent period
4) Indefinite onset

Question 11

What agents can cause etiology in people?

Answer 11

1) Environmental agents e.g chemical

2) Genetic factors e.g age

Question 12

what is molecular epidemiology?

Answer 12

This is when advanced laboratory methods are used in combination with analytical epidemiology to identify specific exogenous agents and host factors that play a role in human disease causation at the molecular or biochemical level.

Question 13

What is absolute risk?

Answer 13

This risk is synonymous with incidence and means the rate of occurrence of the condition or disease.

Question 14

What is relative risk?

Answer 14

Incidence rate among exposed/Incidence rate among non-exposed

Question 15

What is attributable risk?

Answer 15

Incidence rate among exposed/Incidence rate among non/exposed

Question 16

What is the 3 attributes of causation that should be identified?

Answer 16

Association
Time sequence
Direction

Question 17

What is the problems in aetiological investigation of disease?

Answer 17

1) Absence of a known agent
2) Multifactorial nature of aetiology
3) Long latent period
4) Indefinite onset

Question 18

what does the term confounding mean?

Answer 18

This is the difference between the exposed and the unexposed caused by the imbalance of some risk factors, other than the exposure study.