Fully Solved.
Epidemiology can be defined as... - Answer the study of the distribution and determinants of
health-related states or events and the application of this study to the control of these
problems
in Greek roots: "the study of that which is upon the people"
What is today's definition of epidemiology? - Answer a branch of medicine/or the science of
public health that is concerned with the causes, distribution, and control of disease within a
certain population
What are the objectives of epidemiology? - Answer 1) To identify the etiology (cause) of a
disease and the risk factors associated with the disease
- How is the disease transmitted, acquired?
- research studies
- allows us to consider interventions to decrease the disease
2) To determine the extent (burden) of disease found in the community
- we measure this by prevalence and incidence
- are there differences across subgroups or subpopulations in disease burden?
3) To study the natural history and prognosis of the disease
4) To evaluate new and existing preventative and therapeutic measures and modes of health
care delivery
5) To provide the foundation for developing public policy and regulatory decisions relating to
epidemiologic problems
The two types of epidemiology are: - Answer descriptive and analytic
When we are talking about the distribution issue, we're essentially talking about... - Answer
the patterns of disease within or across a defined population
, What does descriptive epidemiology aim to accomplish? - Answer the who, what, where, and
when of the disease, as well as the disease burden (how much, how many)
Descriptive Epidemiology identifies what 3 factors? - Answer 1) Person (who is getting the
disease; age, race, gender)
2) Place (where is the disease occurring; countries, regions, neighborhoods)
3) Time (when is the disease occurring; seasonal variation, relative to other events)
What is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS)? - Answer the largest telephone
survey in the world and annually collects health related date on the population of the US
What is one of the most effective tools for depicting the distribution of disease? - Answer
MAPS
How do descriptive and analytic epidemiology differ? - Answer Descriptive: who, what, where,
and when
Analytic: seeks to address the question of how
What are determinants? - Answer factors that influence the prevention, occurrence, control,
and outcome of disease, and are generated through the application of analytic epidemiology
What is count? - Answer simply the number of events
(ex.) "Our hospital treated 55 cases of breast cancers last year."
What is ratio? - Answer number of events divided by another number
(ex.) Number of women with BC divided number of women without, or 55/49,945
What is rate? - Answer number of events divided by the population at risk from which the
events occurred during a defined period of time
*NOTE* its the presence of the defined period of time that distinguishes this from the
proportion above
What can rates be converted into? - Answer "Whole people"