Five objectives of Epidemiology 1. Identify etiology (causes) of disease and relevant risk factors 2. Determine the burden (extent) of the disease in the community 3. Study natural history of disease and prognosis of disease 4. Evaluate existing and new preventive and therapeutic measures and modes of healthcare delivery
Full Answer
What is the goal of an epidemiological study?
The goal of any epidemiological study is to acquire an accurate picture of a particular health problem or disease.
What is the importance of descriptive epidemiology?
Descriptive epidemiology describes the where and whom of the disease, allowing you to begin intervention and prevention measures. Early (and continuing) analysis of descriptive data helps you to become familiar with those data, enabling you to identify and correct errors and missing values.
What are the components of Epidemiology?
A, C, D. Epidemiology includes assessment of the distribution (including describing demographic characteristics of an affected population), determinants (including a study of possible risk factors), and the application to control health problems (such as closing a restaurant).
What is the importance of numbers in epidemiology?
Numbers indicate the burden of disease and are useful for planning and service delivery. Rates are essential for identifying groups with elevated risk of disease. After characterizing an outbreak by time, place, and person, it is useful to summarize what you know.
What are the aims of epidemiology?
Aims of Epidemiology There are two groups of aims: first, to describe the distribution, the pattern, and the natural history of disease in the general population, and second, to identify factors that may be causal in a disease process, and to evaluate strategies for the control, management, and prevention of a disease.
What is the first objective of epidemiology?
The objectives of epidemiology include the following: to identify the etiology or cause of disease. to determine the extent of disease. to study the progression of the disease. to evaluate preventive and therapeutic measures for a disease or condition.
What is the role of epidemiology quizlet?
The study of disease in groups or populations through the collection of data and information, to identify patterns and causes. Used by governments and health-related organisations to obtain a picture of the health status of a population.
Which of the following is the major focus of epidemiologist?
Which of the following is the major focus of epidemiologists? Both the discovery of factors essential to disease occurrence and the development of methods for disease prevention.
What is the ultimate goal of epidemiology quizlet?
Goal is to reduce incidence. slows disease progression; reduces disease sequelae.
What is General epidemiology?
The General Epidemiology (GE) track emphasizes training in the principles and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics and their application to the study of health and disease in human populations and prepares students to practice epidemiology in diverse settings and positions of employment.
Why is epidemiology important to health education quizlet?
Epidemiology plays a foundational role because of its central role in carrying out the three core public health functions: (1) to assess and monitor the health of at-risk populations and identify health problems and priorities, (2) to identify risk factors for health problems, and (3) to provide a basis for predicting ...
What is epidemiology sociology quizlet?
epidemiology. the study of the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases.
What is studied in the field of epidemiology quizlet?
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems.
What are the 3 main elements of the definition of epidemiology?
The epidemiologic triangle is made up of three parts: agent, host and environment.
What are the 3 main elements of descriptive epidemiology?
Descriptive epidemiology searches for patterns by examining characteristics of person, place, & time . These characteristics are carefully considered when a disease outbreak occurs, because they provide important clues regarding the source of the outbreak.
What are the epidemiological approaches?
The three major epidemiologic techniques are descriptive, analytic, and experimental. Although all three can be used in investigating the occurrence of disease, the method used most is descriptive epidemiology.
Why do epidemiologists use different age breakdowns?
D. Epidemiologists tailor descriptive epidemiology to best describe the data they have. Because different diseases have different age distributions, epidemiologists use different age breakdowns appropriate for the disease of interest.
What are the determinants of epidemiology?
In the definition of epidemiology, “determinants” generally includes the causes (including agents), risk factors (including exposure to sources), and modes of transmission, but does not include the resulting public health action. A, C, D. Epidemiology includes assessment of the distribution ...
What is the hallmark feature of an analytic epidemiologic study?
The hallmark feature of an analytic epidemiologic study is use of an appropriate comparison group. A. A case definition for a field investigation should include clinical criteria, plus specification of time, place, and person. The case definition should be independent of the exposure you wish to evaluate.
Why is John Snow's investigation of cholera considered a model for epidemiologic field investigations?
John Snow’s investigation of cholera is considered a model for epidemiologic field investigations because it included a biologically plausible (but not popular at the time) hypothesis that cholera was water-borne, a spot map, a comparison of a health outcome (death) among exposed and unexposed groups, and a recommendation for public health action. Snow’s elegant work predated multivariate analysis by 100 years.
What is the epidemiologic triad of disease causation?
The epidemiologic triad of disease causation refers to agent-host-environment. A, B, C, D. A reservoir of an infectious agent is the habitat in which an agent normally lives, grows, and multiplies, which may include humans, animals, and the environment.
What is the classic graph for displaying the time course of an epidemic?
B. An epidemic curve, with date or time of onset on its x-axis and number of cases on the y-axis, is the classic graph for displaying the time course of an epidemic.
What is a specific case definition?
A, D. A specific or tight case definition is one that is likely to include only (or mostly) true cases, but at the expense of excluding milder or atypical cases. C. Rates assess risk.
What is the host of a disease?
1. Host: The organism harboring the disease
What does it mean to be an infectious person?
an individual who harbors the infectious organism but does not have any evidence of clinical illness. the person can still infect other people.
What informs the clinical practice of medicine?
Epidemiology informs the clinical practice of medicine
What is an epidemic in epidemiology?
Some epidemiologists apply the term epidemic to situations involving larger numbers of people over a wide geographic area. Indeed, the Dictionary of Epidemiology defines outbreak as an epidemic limited to localized increase in the incidence of disease, e.g., village, town, or closed institution.
What is an epidemic?
An outbreak or an epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time. Usually, the cases are presumed to have a common cause or to be related to one another in some way. Many epidemiologists use the terms outbreak and epidemic interchangeably, but the public is more likely to think that epidemic implies a crisis situation. Some epidemiologists apply the term epidemic to situations involving larger numbers of people over a wide geographic area. Indeed, the Dictionary of Epidemiology defines outbreak as an epidemic limited to localized increase in the incidence of disease, e.g., village, town, or closed institution. ( 23)
How are hypotheses evaluated?
From an epidemiologic point of view, hypotheses are evaluated in one of two ways: either by comparing the hypotheses with the established facts or by using analytic epidemiology to quantify relationships and assess the role of chance.
What is a written report?
Investigators should also prepare a written report that follows the usual scientific format of introduction, background, methods, results, discussion, and recommendations. By formally presenting recommendations, the report provides a blueprint for action. It also serves as a record of performance and a document for potential legal issues. It serves as a reference if the health department encounters a similar situation in the future. Finally, a report that finds its way into the public health literature serves the broader purpose of contributing to the knowledge base of epidemiology and public health.
How to draw an epidemic curve?
Drawing an epidemic curve. To draw an epidemic curve, you first must know the time of onset of illness for each case. For some diseases, date of onset is sufficient. For other diseases, particularly those with a relatively short incubation period, hour of onset may be more suitable (see Lesson 6).
What are the two types of preparations for field investigations?
The preparations can be grouped into two broad categories: (a) scientific and investigative issues, and (b) management and operational issues.
Why is it important to verify a diagnosis?
Verifying the diagnosis is important: (a) to ensure that the disease has been properly identified, since control measures are often disease-specific; and (b) to rule out laboratory error as the basis for the increase in reported cases. First, review the clinical findings and laboratory results.
