Assignment # 1

Topic
Epidemiology and its types

Epidemiology
The word epidemiology comes from the Greek words epi--meaning on or upon,
demos--meaning people and logos--meaning the study of.
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events
in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems .

5 Ws in epidemiology:
The difference is that epidemiologists tend to use synonyms for the 5 W's
Health event (what)
person (who)
place (where)
time (when)
and causes, risk factors, and modes of transmission (why/how).

Components:
Frequency - no of effected persons.
Distribution.
Determinants.

Aims:
•Distributions.
•Risk factors .
•Data for planning.

Uses :
•To study disease history.
•Community diagnosis
•Planning and evaluation.

Types / Methods:
•Observational
Descriptive
Analytical
•Experimental.

Observational study:
Cross- sectional studies
It is a type of observational study that analyzes data from a population, or a representative subset,
at a specific point in time.

✓The advantages of cross-sectional study include:

•Used to prove and/or disprove assumptions.
•Not costly to perform and does not require a lot of time.
•Captures a specific point in time.
•The data can be used for various types of research.

Case control studies:

It is designed to help determine if an exposure is associated with an outcome.
First, identify the cases (a group known to have the outcome) and the controls (a group known to
be free of the outcome).

When is a Case-Control Study Desirable?

When the disease or outcome being studied is rare.
When the disease or outcome has a long induction and latent period .
When exposure data is difficult or expensive to obtain.
When the study population is dynamic.

Cohort study:
In a cohort study the epidemiologist records whether each study participant is exposed or not,
and then tracks the participants to see if they develop the disease of interest.
Characteristics of cohort study:
The characteristic feature of a cohort study is that the investigator identifies subjects at a point in
time when they do not have the outcome of interest and compares the incidence of the outcome
of interest among groups of exposed and unexposed (or less exposed) subjects.

Interventional studies:
Interventional studies, also called experimental studies, are those where the researcher intercedes
as part of the study design.
Additionally, study designs may be classified by the role that time plays in the data collection,
either retrospective or prospective.

The goal of intervention studies is to test the efficacy of specific treatments or preventive
measures by assigning individual subjects to one of two or more treatment or prevention options.