Principles and Methods of Epidemiology

Principles and Methods of Epidemiology

Epidemiology can be defined as the study of patterns of diseases within a given target population or rather the causes of such diseases. Different epidemiological studies have a great contribution in medical research as well as in preventive medicine. Epidemiological studies can be expanded to occupy studies on disease development especially on their predominance in a certain place or on a given set of population. Knowledge of such studies is derived from measurements of study, lectures on causalities, bias, confounding as well as other specific research fields of epidemiology.

Epidemiology has on great extent proved to be the cornerstone of public health. This is because of the rigorous methods (both qualitative and quantitative) on which it uses to study the health of populations and not just of individuals. Epidemiological methods form a basis on which studies on what results in poor health, as well as provide standards of the association between causes and outcomes, and monitor changes in the health of populations over time. It is from epidemiological studies that relevant public health policies, as well as planning and practice are obtained and stored as data for future studies.

Two things play a crucial role in carrying out epidemiological studies: frequency and pattern of prevalence of a certain outcome after a study. Whereas the frequency explains how often an outcome has been experienced within a specific time frame, pattern describes aspects such as time, place as well as general characteristics of the population. The frequency of occurrence of such outcomes is determined by determinants which can be described as either risk or protective factors where risk factors describe negative health outcomes while protective factors describe positive health outcomes.

Research on epidemiology also deal with testing interventions used for prevention such as use of vaccines or better standards of hygiene. It may also involve therapeutic interventions such as use of medicine or surgery for the sake of better healthcare and general survival. Such health interventions can be used to assess either efficacy or effectiveness.

Principles and Methods of Epidemiology