Biostatistics and Epidemiology

• Cavite State University Don Severino de las Alas Campus Indang, Cavite College of Nursing Department of Medical Technology Copyright Notice: Do not remove this notice.
• The material was prepared by Calixto Sabela Jr., Department of Medical Technology, College of Nursing, Cavite State University for the use of students enrolled in MEDT 05 - Biostatistics and Epidemiology.
• The goals of epidemiology are to define epidemiology, describe the goals of epidemiology and its use in public health, and discuss the historical background of epidemiology.
• Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the prevention and control of health problems.
• Epidemiology employs a systematic approach that includes surveillance, observation, hypothesis generation, and hypothesis testing.
• Distribution in epidemiology refers to the analysis of health-related states or events in terms of person, place and time characteristics.
• Experimental studies in epidemiology involve an active attempt to change a disease determinant such as an exposure or a behavior, or the progress of a disease through treatment.
• The process of epidemiologic research involves a question (hypothesis), design (planning of investigation), conduct of study (data collection), analysis, interpretation of results, and recommendations.
• Descriptive studies in epidemiology describe all aspects of the disease/health related phenomenon and the affected population.
• Epidemiologic measures and study designs are the basis of the analytic approaches for evaluating if programs are effective in preventing and controlling disease, disability, injury, and other health problems in populations receiving health care services.
• Descriptive observational studies in epidemiology describe the relationships between health status and other variables.
• Health care evaluations are used to improve the delivery of care, to test an innovation, to determine the effectiveness of regulatory policy, to assess the appropriateness of continuing or altering an intervention, or to compare health system effectiveness across nations.
• Observational studies in epidemiology can be descriptive or analytical.
• Determinants in epidemiology refer to factors that influence health, which can be biological, chemical, physical, social, cultural, economic, genetic and behavioral.
• Ecologic Studies describes the relationship between screening frequency and an outcome measure among many populations at the same time or the same population at different times.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, accounting about 29% of newly diagnosed cancers in 2012.
• Currently known risk factors for prostate cancer include African American race, increased age, family history of prostate cancer and a diet high in animal fat.
• Currently available screening methods for prostate cancer include the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test, digital rectal examination, and trans-rectal ultrasound.
• The main advantage of the case control approach is efficiency.
• Ecologic Studies are most informative when a new screening program is introduced into an isolated well-defined population.
• Dropping the mortality rates suggest that prostate cancer screening is beneficial.
• Health-related states and events in epidemiology can refer to specific health outcomes, behaviors, and provision of health services.
• Ecologic Studies are efficient because they are based only on easy to obtain group level data about the screening program and group level outcome data.
• Natural history of disease (NHD) includes defining the natural history of a disease, describing the different phases of NHD, and discussing the application of NHD in disease prevention.
• Disease classification has various uses, including understanding the evolution of a disease, identifying potential intervention points, and improving health outcomes.
• Public health surveillance data have been used to characterize the magnitude and distribution of illness and injury; to track health trends; and to develop standard curves, such as growth charts.
• Disease prevention involves understanding the different phases of a disease to identify potential intervention points.
• Application of NHD in disease prevention involves understanding the different phases of a disease to identify potential intervention points.
• Natural history of disease (NHD) is the study of the different phases of a disease from onset to resolution.
• Disease classification is the process of grouping diseases based on similarities and differences.
• Basic concepts in epidemiology include disease classification, sources of data for use in epidemiology, and disease prevention.
• Disease prevention also involves using data from sources such as vital statistics records, medical records, personal interviews, telephone and mail surveys, physical examinations, and laboratory testing.
• Specified populations in epidemiology examine the occurrence of health-related states among populations vs individuals.
• The units of study in a cross-sectional (prevalence) study are individuals.
• The design process in a cross-sectional (prevalence) study involves the selection of analytic methods underlying it.
• Cross-sectional (prevalence) studies are most useful for conditions that are not rapidly fatal, not terribly rare, and/or not routinely brought to medical attention.
• Ecological studies can be done by comparing populations in different places at the same time or, in a time series, by comparing the same population in one place at different times.
• In a cross-sectional (prevalence) study, all persons in the population at the time of ascertainment or a representative sample of all such persons are included as participants without regard to exposure or disease status.
• The current or historical status of individuals is assessed in a cross-sectional (prevalence) study.
• The concepts of study design and selection of analytic methods underlying it are essential to primary epidemiologic research and program evaluation.