Public Health Epidemiology/Research Methods Flashcards
Define Epidemiology
The study of the distribution and patterns of health and disease and their causes in populations
What is Prevalence
the number of EXISTING cases of a disease in a population at a given time
What is point prevalence
of causes at a specific point in time
What is Period Prevalence
of cases over a specified period of time
what is incidence
the number of NEW cases of a disease within a specified population during a given time period
** a measure of risk for developing the disease
What are Acute Diseases
those that last 3 months or less
what are chronic diseases
those that last 3 months or longer
what are endemic diseases
Disease that is constantly present in the community or population
what are sporadic diseases
a few scattered cases within an area or population
what are epidemic diseases
a large number of cases that are out of proportion to what is normally expected
what are pandemic diseases
an epidemic that occurs simultaneously on more than one continent
why would public health use the term “association”
mean that thing are linked in some way that make them turn up together
what does the term “cause” mean in public health
something that produces an outcome
T or F
Most chronic diseases are caused by multiple factors
T
What questions to descriptive epidemiological studies answer?
Who, When, Where
what is the purpose of Analytical studies in Epidemiology
test the hypothesis about the relationship between health problems and risk factors
What are the two types of analytical studies in epidemiology
Experimental and Observational
What is an Experimental Analytical Study in Epidemiology? What is an Example?
One where the investigator actually allocates exposure and subsequentyl follows the subjects for the development of the disease
e.g) Randomized Clinical Trial
What is considered the “gold standard” for Experimental Studies?
Randomized Control trial
what are the advantages of a Randomized Control Trial
- You can assume the subjects in each group are similar
- Bias due to confounding is minimized
- ability to make causal inferences are enhanced
What are observational studies
where the exposure status is not influenced by the investigator – the investigator simply observes the natural course of events
What are some examples of observational studies
Cohorts, Case Controls, Cross Sections an Case Studies
What is the difference between prospective and Retrospective
Prospective is looking forward (Case Study)
- Cohort is identified in present time
Retrospective is looking backward (Case-control)
- outcome events are identified from existing records
