Principles of Epidemiology
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What is epidemiology?
Orderly study of diseases and conditions where the group and not the individual is of interest
Name 2 ways which the information on epidemiology is used
• Understand changes over time 2. Plan health services
What are 4 reasons to measuring disease at individual level in terms of providing information?
• To aid diagnosis • To aid treatment • Measure individual treatment need • Measure individual treatment outcomes
What are 3 reasons to measuring disease at population level in terms of providing information?
• Record prevalence of diseases and conditions • Provide indication of population treatment need • Evaluate effectiveness of health programmes
What is a count data?
Number of people in an area affected at one point in time
Describe 3 reasons a denominator is important in measuring disease in population
• The number at risk is unknown without a denominator • Changes over time cannot be identified without a denominator • Areas cannot be compared without a denominator
How is epidemiological data usually reported?
Rates or proportions
How is a study population usually defined?
By sharing a common characteristics e.g. age or sex
What are the 3 key features of a study sample?
• Representative of population • Sufficient size • Sufficient distribution
What is point prevalence?
Proportion of people with a disease at any given point
What is period prevalence?
Proportion of people with a disease over a period of time
What does prevalence show?
The amount of people affected out of the total amount who could be
What is incidence?
Number of new cases of a disease that occur in a specified time period divided by population at risk
What is severity?
How severe a condition is
What is standardized data?
A technique used to account for the effect of confounding factors in populations
What does SMR stand for?
Standardized mortality ratio
How is SMR measured?
Observed number of deaths per year / Expected number of deaths per year
Describe 3 features of study design
• Objective • Protocol • Ethical and other approvals
What are 2 types of descriptive epidemiology study designs?
• Cross-sectional (one point in time) 2. Longitudinal (following same people over time)
What are 2 types of analytical epidemiology study designs?
• Observational (not trying to change course of disease) 2. Experimental (interventional)
What does a quantitative method of epidemiology study rely on?
An underlying measurable truth that is generalizable
Name 5 types of qualitative methods of epidemiology study
• Recognise and seek individual perspectives • Exploratory • Interviews • Focus groups • Observations of people
What is descriptive epidemiology?
Describes patterns of disease, risk factors and determinants of health in a population or sub-group
Name 2 types of data which are available before commencing a new study
• Routinely collected data 2. Cross-sectional studies