Week 1 - Intro + Basic Definitions + History

Question 1

Epidemiology Definition

Answer 1

Study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states among specific populations and the application of that study to the control of health problems

Question 2

Epidemic or outbreak

Answer 2

disease occurrence among a population that is in excess of what is expected in a given time and pace

Question 3

cluster

Answer 3

group of cases in a specific time and place that might be more than expected

Question 4

endemic

Answer 4

a disease or condition present among a population at all times

Question 5

pandemic

Answer 5

a disease or condition that spreads across regions

Question 6

rate

Answer 6

the number of cases occuring during a specific period always dependent on the size of the population during that period

Question 7

distribution

Answer 7

the frequency and pattern of a health events in a population

Question 8

frequency

Answer 8

the number of health events and their relationship to the size of the population

Question 9

determinant

Answer 9

the cuses and other factors that influence the occurrene of diseace and other health-related issues

Question 10

patient

Answer 10

the entire community being observed (in an epidemiologic study)

Question 11

Who started Epidemiology 2,500 years ago?

Answer 11

Hippocrates

Question 12

What did Hippocrates try to do?

Answer 12

Hippocrates attempted to explain disease occurrence from a rational viewpoint rather than supernatural viewpoint

Question 14

What was hippocrates’ epidemiological work called and what did he suggest in it?

Answer 14

“On Airs, Waters and Places” he suggested that environmental and host factors such as behaviors, might influence the development of disease

Question 15

Who was John Graunt?

Answer 15

A London Haberdasher and councilman. He published landmark analysis of mortality data in 1662.

Question 16

John Graunt’s publication was the first to…

Answer 16

quantify patterns of birth, death and disease occurrence.

Question 17

What did John Graunt’s publication note?

Answer 17

disparities between males/females (person), high infant mortality, urban/rural differences (place), and seasonal variations (time).

Question 18

Who is considered the father of modern vital statistics and surveillance?

Answer 18

William Farr

Question 19

What did William Farr do?

Answer 19

He developed many of basic practices epidemiologists use today, he built upon the work of John Graunt by systematically collecting and analyzing Britain’s mortality statistics.

Question 20

Who is considered the father of the field of epidemiology?

Answer 20

John Snow

Question 21

What disease did Snow study?

Answer 21

Cholera - to discover the cause of disease and to prevent recurrence

Question 22

What was John Snow’s first study?

Answer 22

he traced the death due to cholera and other factors and noticed a trend between the household’s water source and cholera. He linked it to a specific water well. Used 1854 data.

Question 23

What was John Snow’s second study?

Answer 23

He used 1852 data and compared the incidence of cholera and which water company a household got their water from. Places serviced by downstream providers had higher incidences of cholera than those serviced by upstream providers.

Question 24

What did Richard Doll and Andrew Hill do? When?

Answer 24

They studied the relationship between tobacco use and lung caner. This was during the 1950s

Question 25

What was a correlation discovered by Richard Doll and Andrew Hill

Answer 25

Male doctors born between 1900-1930 who smoked cigarettes died, on average, about 10 years younger than lifelong non-smokers

Question 26

What does molecular epidemiology do?

Answer 26

It measures exposure to specific substances and early biological response

Question 27

what is genetic epidemiology?

Answer 27

it deals with the etiology distribution and control of disease in groups of relatives and with inherited causes of disease in populations

Question 28

Genetic epidemiology establishes…

Answer 28

• a genetic component to the disorder
• the relative size of that genetic effect in the relation to other sources of variation in disease risk
• the responsible gene(s)

Question 29

Study Definition

Answer 29

a method of collecting data
surveillance, observation, hypothesis, testing, analytic research and experiments

Question 30

Distribution definition

Answer 30

refers to analysis of times persons, places and classes of people affected

Question 31

Determinants

Answer 31

factors that influence health (biological, chemical, physical, social, cultural economic, genetic and behavioural

Question 32

health-related states and events

Answer 32

diseases, causes of death, behavious positive health states, reactions to interventions

Question 33

specified populations

Answer 33

those with identifiable characteristics such as occupational groups

Question 34

applicaiton to prevention and control

Answer 34

the aims of public health - to promote, protect and restore health