Epidemiology is used to:
1) Study the rise and fall of diseases over time in populations.
2) Identify health problems in communities to define at-risk groups.
3) Plan and evaluate health measures to reduce disease frequency.
Epidemiology is used to:
1) Study the rise and fall of diseases over time in populations.
2) Identify health problems in communities to define at-risk groups.
3) Plan and evaluate health measures to reduce disease frequency.
Epidemiology is used to:
1) Study the rise and fall of diseases over time in populations.
2) Identify health problems in communities to define at-risk groups.
3) Plan and evaluate health measures to reduce disease frequency.
USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY To study historically the rise and fall of disease in the population:
First we study the history of disease in human
population. Diseases and human health are never constant. For example : First the study of coronary disease was that it was a epidemic. But later many others came about like accidents, cancer and diabetes was found to be epidemic. Community Diagnosis : Identification of health problems in a community in terms of mortality, morbidity rates and ratios. Through this defining of those individuals and groups that are in risk or are in need of health care. Knowledge about the disease, its cause and prevention should be known. Planning and evaluation : Planning is essential because in many developed countries, too many hospitals have been built and equipped without knowledge of the particular disease problems in the community. Evaluation should also be done to find out whether the measures taken are effective in reducing the frequency of the disease. Evaluation of individual risks and chances : Besides the incidence rate and specific rates which are measures of absolute risk, the epidemiologists calculate relative risk and attributable risk for a factor related to or believed to be a cause of disease. The risk of bearing a mongol child and of some hereditary disorders are classic examples of evaluating individuals risk and chances. Syndrome identification : Medical syndromes are identified by observing frequently associated findings in individual patients By observations of groups, studies have been able to correct misconceptions concerning many disease syndromes. Completing the natural history of disease: The epidemiologist by studying disease patterns in the community in relation to agent, host and environmental factors is in a better position to fill up the gaps n the natural history of disease than the clinician. Searching for causes and risk factors Epidemiology, by relating disease to interpopulation differences and other attributes of the population or cohorts examined, tries to identify the causes of disease. For example: Epidemiological studies have incriminated that rubella is the cause of congenital defects in the newborn. Efforts of International agencies on health Promotion Definition of health Health is defined in relation to the environmental and human characteristics of peoples daily lives and the links between them. Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health; Education should also enable people to learn to live healthily in a world with HIV and AIDS and other major widespread health risks; Policy, management and systems should provide guidance, oversight, coordination, monitoring and evaluation to ensure an effective, sustainable, and institutionalized educational response to health challenges; Education should enable learners to adopt caring and supportive attitudes to others as well as protective and health-seeking behaviours for themselves. International agencies contribution on health promotion UNESCO plays a leading role inEDUCAIDSand theUNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education, key mechanisms in strengthening the UNAIDS combined effort to achieve universal access to prevention programmes, treatment, care, and support. UNESCO supports responses to HIV and AIDS that are inclusive and sensitive to the needs and issues of all, but with particular attention to key populations especially vulnerable to HIV and young people in school settings. UNESCO also supports responses that are gender and age responsive, culturally appropriate, evidence-informed, and grounded in human rights. TheWorld Health Organization (WHO)is the premier international health organization. WHO has three main divisions. The governing body, the World Health Assembly, meets once a year to approve the budget and decide on major matters of health policy The principal work of WHO 1. directing and coordinating international health activities 2. supplying technical assistance to countries. It develops norms and standards, 3. disseminates health information, 4. promotes research, 5. provides training in international health, 6. collects and analyzes epidemiologic data, 7. develops systems for monitoring and 8. evaluating health programs. The United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF)spends the majority of its program (non-administrative) budget on health care. UNICEF makes the world's most vulnerable children its top priority, so it devotes most of its resources to the poorest countries and to children younger than 5 TheWorld Bank is the other major intergovernmental agency related to the UN heavily involved in international health. The World Bank loans money to poor countries on advantageous terms not available in commercial markets. TheWorld Food Programme (WFP) supplies food relief in disasters and coordinates the activities of NGOs involved in food relief, as well as assisting them with transportation and logistics. THANK YOU !