PHEBEPI02- UNDERSTANDING EPIDEMIOLOGY

Def: Epidemiology is the study of distribution and determinants of health and

states or events in specified population, and the application of this study to the
prevention and control health problem
Distribution- frequency( number of health events and its relationship to the size
of the population) and pattern (person, place and time)
Determinants- the causes or factors that influence the occurrence of disease,
disability or other health related events
Component of epidemiology:
1. Descriptive epidemiology- identifying and reporting both the pattern and
frequency of health events in a population (Distribution)
a. What, who, when and where?
2. Analytic epidemiology- search for the causes or risk factors of health
outcomes (determinant)
a. Why and how?
Uses of epidemiology:
 Identifying causes
 Describing natural history of diseases
 Describing the health status of populations including surveillance
 Evaluating interventions
 Provide information for health policy, panning and management
-relationship between epidemiology and public health is strategies in public
health are devised based on the evidence provided by epidemiological studies
PUBLIC HEALTH
Def: science and art of preventing diseases, prolong life, promoting health and
efficiencies through organized community effort
- concerned with the health of the whole population and prevention of disease
which it suffers.