Friis Epidemiology 101 Chapters 1-6 & 8 – Flashcards

Epidemiology is concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. Epidemiology studies are applied to the control of health problems in populations.

Skills acquired through training in epidemiology include the use of an interdisciplinary approach and being an observational science (amongst other ways). Epidemiology is an interdisciplinary science because it uses information from fields including sociology, mathematics and biostatistics, behavioral sciences, ethics, etc. Epidemiology is an observational science that capitalizes upon naturally occurring situations in order to study the occurrence of disease. This includes "descriptive" and "analytic" epidemiology. Descriptive epidemiology refers to epidemiology studies concerned with characterizing the amount and distribution of health and disease within a population. Analytic epidemiology examines casual (etiologic) hypotheses regarding the association between exposures and health conditions.

(1) the course of disease from its beginning to its final clinical endpoints. (2) prepathogenesis (3) Pathogenesis

Epidemiology aids with health promotion, alleviation of adverse health outcomes (eg., Infectious and chronic diseases), and prevention of disease

An epidemic refers to the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related events clearly in excess of normal expectancy.

A pandemic is an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries, and usually affecting a large number of people. The 1918 influenza pandemic is an example of this.

1. Is it safe to eat the tomatoes? 2. Will I get lung cancer if I smoke? 3. How can youth violence be prevented? 4. What's causing the obesity epidemic? 5. Who is at risk for substance abuse?

1. Population focus 2. Distribution 3. Determinants 4. Outcomes 5. Quantification 6. Control of health problems

The population is all of the inhabitants of a given country or area considered together.

The term distribution implies that the occurrences of diseases and other health outcomes varies in populations, with some subgroups of the populations more frequently affected than others.

A determinant is any factor that brings about a change in a health condition or other defining characteristic. Examples of determinants are biological agents (e.g., bacteria and viruses), chemical agents, and less specific factors (e.g., stress and deleterious lifestyle practices).

Primary prevention involves the prevention of disease before it occurs. This targets the stage of prepathogenesis and embodies general health promotion and specific prevention against diseases. Secondary prevention takes place during the early phases of pathogenesis and includes activities that limit the progression of disease. Examples are programs for cancer screening and early detection of other chronic diseases. Tertiary prevention is directed towards the later stages of pathogenesis and includes programs for storing the patient's optimal functioning. Examples are physical therapy for stroke victims and fitness programs for recovering heart attack patients.

Outcomes are all the possible results that may stem from exposure to a causal factor. Outcomes are expressed as types and measures of "morbidity" and "mortality". Morbidity is the illness due to a specific disease or health condition. Mortality is death (from various causes).