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Unit I. General information, Unit II. Prevention and promotion strategy,…
Unit I. General information
Prevalence
It is an important measure in epidemiology because it allows the magnitude of a disease or health condition in a population to be assessed at a given time. It can be divided into two main categories
Point prevalence: refers to the number of cases of a disease or condition in a population at a specific time.
Period prevalence: refers to the number of cases of a disease or condition in a population during a specific period of time.
Definitions
Definitions may vary depending on the subject of study, but some general guidelines for their development might include:
-Define key terms
-Use reliable sources
-Presenting definitions in a clear and accessible way
-Updating definitions
-Update definitions
Uses of general epidemiology
Some of the most common uses of general epidemiology include:
Identification of risk factors: general epidemiology allows the identification of risk factors that may contribute to the development of diseases in a given population.
Investigation of causes of disease: general epidemiology is used to investigate the causes of disease in a population.
Disease surveillance: general epidemiology is used to monitor the occurrence and prevalence of diseases in a population.
Evaluation of health programs: general epidemiology is used to evaluate the effectiveness of public health programs and medical treatments.
Incidence
It is commonly expressed in terms of a rate, which is defined as the number of new cases of a disease in a population at risk during a given time period, divided by the size of the population at risk in the same time period. It allows an assessment of the magnitude of a disease or event in a population at a given time and can therefore help health professionals to identify risk factors and design appropriate prevention and control measures.
Unit II. Prevention and promotion strategy
Morbidity
A term used in epidemiology to describe the frequency of disease in a given population. Morbidity can be divided into different categories, such as general morbidity, which refers to the total number of cases of disease in a population, and specific morbidity, which refers to the number of cases of a specific disease or condition in a population.
Indicators
They are tools used in the evaluation and monitoring of public health and disease prevention. They can be qualitative or quantitative. Among the most common indicators used in the evaluation of public health and disease prevention are:
-Mortality rates
-Incidence rates
-Prevalence rates
-Body mass index
Screening
Screening is a strategy used in public health to identify individuals with an increased risk of developing a disease or health condition before symptoms appear. Screening is performed through specific tests that are applied to the population at risk.
Causality
Refers to the relationship between a cause and an effect in which the cause is necessary and sufficient to produce the effect. It is used to explain the relationship between risk factors and diseases or health conditions in a population.
Epidemiology methods and strategies
It is the discipline that studies the distribution and determinants of diseases and health conditions in populations, with the objective of preventing and controlling diseases. To achieve these objectives, methods and strategies are used, as described below:
Epidemiological surveillance: is a system for monitoring and reporting diseases and health conditions in a given population.
Outbreak investigation: used to identify the source of a disease or health condition in a population and to take measures to prevent its spread.
Experimental studies: experimental studies are those in which researchers intervene in the population and manipulate one or more variables to observe their effect on a specific disease or health condition.
Evaluation of prevention and treatment programs: involves the collection and analysis of data to assess the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs.
Observational studies are those in which researchers observe and collect data on a population without intervening in it.
Mortality
A term used in epidemiology to describe the number of deaths in a given population in a given time period. It can be expressed as a rate or proportion and is used to measure the burden of disease in a population. It can be divided into different categories, such as general mortality, and specific mortality.
Unit III. Types of studies
Experimental studies
They are a type of epidemiological study in which researchers manipulate one or more variables to evaluate their effect on a specific disease or health condition.
Epidemiology uses several types of studies to investigate the distribution and determinants of diseases and health conditions in populations. The main types of studies used in epidemiology are described below:
Cross-sectional or prevalence studies
-Cohort studies
Case-control studies
-Ecological studies
Randomized controlled clinical trials -Randomized controlled trials
Descriptive studies
These are studies that describe the distribution of a disease or health condition in a given population. These studies are used to generate hypotheses about the possible causes of the disease or health condition and to plan subsequent analytical studies.
Cohort studies
They are a type of epidemiological study used to evaluate the relationship between a risk factor and a specific disease or health condition. Cohort studies can be prospective or retrospective. They have several advantages
First, they are useful for establishing causal relationships between risk factors and the disease or health condition, since they allow establishing the temporal sequence between the exposure and the disease or condition of interest. Second, they can assess multiple risk factors and their interaction in the disease or condition of interest. Third, they can be used to study rare diseases and diseases with long latency periods.
Intervention studies
They are a type of epidemiological study in which a specific intervention is implemented with the objective of preventing or treating a disease or health condition in a given population.
Case-control studies
They are used to evaluate the association between an exposure and a specific disease or health condition. They have several advantages.
First, they are useful for studying rare diseases or diseases with a long latency, which can be difficult to study in cohort studies.
Second, they are relatively quick and inexpensive to conduct compared to cohort studies.
Third, they are useful for assessing multiple risk factors for a specific disease or health condition.
Unit IV. Uses of epidemiology in health
Risk assessment
It is a systematic process used to determine the risk that a particular exposure to a specific hazard may pose to human health. The assessment process generally involves the following steps:
Hazard identification
-Hazard characterization
-Hazard assessment
-Exposure assessment
-Risk characterization
-Risk communication
Epidemiology has many uses in public health and clinical practice. Some of the most common uses of epidemiology in health are listed below:
-Epidemiological surveillance
-Outbreak investigation
-Evaluation of health programs
-Identification of risk factors
Planning and evaluation of health services - Health services planning and evaluation
Epidemiological surveillance programs
They are essential for detecting and monitoring the incidence and prevalence of diseases and health conditions in the population. They can be designed for specific diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases, as well as for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Components of an epidemiological surveillance program may include:
-Case identification and reporting
-Data collection and analysis
-Information dissemination
-Outbreak investigation
-Program evaluation and improvement
Population at risk
Refers to a group of people who have an increased risk of developing a specific disease or health condition compared to the general population. Examples of at-risk populations include:
-Elderly population
-Child population
Low-income population
Health worker population -Vulnerable populations
-Vulnerable populations
CERPA
Name: Julieth Nicole Lorenzo
Mind map of Fundamentals of Epidemiology
Date: Friday, October 4, 2024