Epidemiology Part 1

What is a hypothesis in epidemiology?

- demonstrates how *descriptive epidemiological clues* can be used to make *educated guesses* as to what might be *the cause of a disease*

what are two types of observational studies that are non-experimental?

- descriptive - analytic

What are the 3 primary factors of the epidemiology triangle?

- host - environmental factors - agent/causative factor/pathogen

What is the agent factors of the epidemiology triangle?

WHAT - biologic or mechanical means of causing disease, illness, injury or disability such as: micrbial, parasite, viral, bacterial pathogens physical/mechanical irritants chemicals, drug and radiation trauma

What is the environmental factors of the epidemiology triangle?

WHERE - favorable surrounding and conditions external to the host that cause or allow the disease to be transmitted - some diseases live best in blood, dirt, water, etc

What is the host factor of the epidemiology triangle?

WHO - a person, animal or plant that harbors a disease or infection - host can be sick or a carrier

descriptive/analytic? - test a hypothesis - cannot determine causation - determine relationship between disease and other factors

analytic

term: application or practice of epidemiology to address public health interventions

applied epidemiology

term: -current health conditions within a population/community - current public health policies, activities and services

assess

term: a particular exposure results in a particular outcome strong confirmation between riskand disease, conditions or injurt

causality

Causality is also referred to as?

cause and effect causation

term: - involves a group of people who share a defining characteristic, typically who experienced a common event in a selected period such as a birth - an observation and longitudinal study - retrospective and prospective

cohort research

term: number of cases of disease or condition

count

The disease state depends on what?

depends on exposure to a *specific agent and susceptibility of host*

descriptive/analytic? - does not test a hypothesis - does not establish causation - answer a question about disease/problem - ex) simple survey and case report

descriptive

what type of scope of epidemiology is there usual presence of a disease in a given geographic area and in a population when infection is maintained in the population without the need for external resources/support ex) chicken pox

endemic

what is defined as reaching some # increase in incidence above a baseline?

epidemic

term: depicts disease as the outcome of the interactions among host, agent and environemental factors has many layers w/multifactorial perspectives KEY-time period of disease

epidemiologic triangle

term: *focuses on distribution* (whom, where, what) and *determinants* (why) of a disease in a *population*

epidemiology

term: elimination of an infectious disease agent through surveillance and containment, keep disease at minimum level

eradication

term: theory of disease/condition and the causation

etiology

term: - tests a hypothesis: CAN determine causation - uses dependent and independent variable - example: dependent variable may receive a new surgical procedure and independent receives the current procedure

experimental study

what is known as a clinical trial and a higher level of evidence?

experimental study

What is Epidemiology?

focus on health and disease in a specific target population and how *disease states are influenced by heredity, environment and lifestyles*

term: rate of new case of a disease during or over a given period of time

incidence

term: abbreviated, standardized measurement used to express severity of problems and aid in data collection

index

What is the epidemiology triangle?

involves health that is balanced among the host, agent and environmental factors health problems occur when the balance is treatened by changes in those 3 things

term: repeated observations of the same variables (people) over a long period of time any type of research can be this

longitudinal research

term: extent of disease, injury or disability in a defined population

morbibity

term: death rate resulting from a specifc disease or condition

mortality

term: - observational studies associate an attribute or exposure with the disease or condition to establish risk

non-experimental study

term: specific to the field of dentistry and target populations

oral epidemiology

What are examples of causality?

plaque -> gingivitis sugar -> caries fluoride TX -> caries reduction

term: numeric expression of the number of all existing cases of a disease or health condition in population measured at a given period of time

prevalence

what type of prevention is preventing disease in health individuals (vaccinations)

primary prevention

term: type of ratio that expresses the amount of disease or health condition with a fraction that presents it in relation to size of population and expressed as a %

proportion

term: groups of individuals are selected based on factors to be examined for possible effects on some outcomes in the FUTURE cohorts followed over a period of time to determine incidence rates of outcomes being studied as relating to the original factors in question will be longitudinal

prospective/future research

term: expression of disease in a population using a standardized denominator and including a time dimension, allows for valid comparison

rate

term: expression of the magnitude of one occurence of disease exposure in relation to another with a fraction

ratio

term: - look back into past at individuals as either having outcome (cases) or lacking it (controls) - advantage short time for completion

retrospective research

term: the characteristic of an individual or population which may increase the likelihood of experiencing a health problem modifiable attribute associated with health condition have a strong confirmation from reasearch studies

risk factor

what does a cohort research identify?

risk factor

what does prospective/future research identify?

risk factor and risk indicator

term: attribute or exposure is suspected or assumed to have a casual role however, NOT confimed w/appropriate type of reasearch shown to be associated w/disease in cross sectional and/or case studies NOT been confirmed by longitudinal studies can be modified

risk indicator

term: - an attirbute is associated with the increased probability of disease - not a casual role - nonmodifiable - not helpful in controlling disease - may confirm there is a need - application in making decision about target populations with community health program planning

risk marker

what type of prevention will limit disease by early detection through screening program?

secondary prevention

What does epidemiology focus on ?

the etiology of disease

what is the surveillance of epidemiologic systems conducted by?

CDC DHHS SEER NHANES NIDCR

term: - two existing groups differing in outcome are identified and compared on the basis of some supposed causal attribute - used to identify factors that may contribute to a medical condiiton by comparing subjects who have condition/disease with patients who do not have condition/disease but are otherwise similar - observational study (retrospective)

Case Control Research

Cause is..... Effect is....

Cause is WHY it happened Effect is WHAT happens

term: - analyze data collected from a population, or a representative subset at a specific point in time - neither longitudinal or experimental - INVOLVES ONLY ONE GROUP

Cross-sectional research

what type of scope of epidemiology is there unusually high occurence of diseases in excess of expectancy? also includes the rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time, 2 weeks or less

Epidemic

What is a branch of science determining *disease patterns* in targeted populations by studying a group of people?

Epidemiology

what type of scope of epidemiology is disease that has spread all over an entire country or world?

Pandemic (COVID!!!)