Epidemiology: basic science of public compared to constructing a memorable
health Chinese banquet. It is not enough to have
the best ingredients and to know the various Because: Chinese cooking methods. The truly great the science that describes the chefs must be able to select the appropriate relationship of health and/or disease ingredients and cooking methods to bring with other health-related factors in out the flavors of each dish, and further, human populations, such as human must know how to construct the correct pathogens sequence of dishes to excite the palate used to generate much of the without overwhelming it. Thy create a information required by public health memorable banquet by adding their creative professionals to develop, implement, genius to the raw ingredients and the and evaluate effective intervention established cooking methods. programs for the prevention of disease and promotion of health B. Mechanism and Causes of Disease
Maxcys definition: EXAMPLE: Osteomalacia bone dse that may
Epidemiology is that field of medical have both social and biologic causes; social: science which is concerned with the Muslin custom of purdah; biologic deficiency relationship of various factors and of vitamin D (prevention of irradiation of conditions which determine the ergosterol in the skin, may develop frequencies and distributions of an osteomalacia as a result of insufficient infectious process, a disease, or a calcium absorption. Osteomalacia can physiologic state in a human adversely affect future preganancye by community. (Lilienfeld 1978, p. 88) causing the pelvis to become distorted (more pear shaped), making the pelvic opening too John Lasts definition: small for the fetus to pass through that may lead to infant mortality. The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states C. Host, Agent Environment, and Vector or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the Example: Measles: host (human), agent control of health problems. (Dictionary (rubeola virus), the environment (population of Epidemiology) of unvaccinated individuals) Causal inference process of providing an Host factors responsible for the degree to accumulation of increasingly convincing which the individual is able to adapt to the indirect evidence of a relationship between stressor produced by the agent health or disease and other factors Host resistance is influenced by: genotype, Predisease stage early intervention may nutritional status and BMI, immune system, avert exposure to the agent of disease (e.g. and social behavior microbes, trans-fatty acids, lead) PRIMARY INTERVENTION Agents of disease divided into several categories (biologic, chemical, physical Latent stage screening for disease and agents) providing appropriate treatment may prevent progression to symptomatic disease Environment influences the probability and SECONDARY PREVENTION circumstances of contact between the host and the agent; also includes social, political, Symptomatic stage intervention may and economic factors slow, arrest, or reverse the progression of disease TERTIARY PREVENTION Vectors include insects, arachnids, and mammals; can be applied more widely to Applying the epidemiological method to include human groups (vendors of heroin, resolve a health question successfully can be cocaine, and meth), and inanimate objects Time (e.g. trends, outbreaks, etc.) (fomites) Place (the geographic area in which the disease is occurring) Time-place-person Person (the characteristics of the affected Describe disease or disease factors occurring individuals; e.g. age, gender, etc.) in the population to elucidate the causative agent: