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Epidemiology (Population-Based Health Studies)

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), Epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events.”1 More simply put, epidemiology is the study of disease patterns within a given population. It forms the foundation of public health and it provides guidance for public health policy as well as preventative medicine by identifying patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions. Thus, epidemiologists help with the design of population studies relating to health as well as the collection and statistical analysis of the relevant data set.

In this context, the study of Epidemiology can complement clinical research, public health research and basic scientific research, by developing the pertinent methodology as well as analyzing specific trends within the data collected.  Major areas of epidemiology are etiology, screening, outbreak investigations, disease surveillance as well as the analysis of treatment outcomes in clinical trials. Although Epidemiology is considered an independent area of study, it draws upon concepts from Biology and Statistics to better understand the disease process, as well as making efficient use of data.



1. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Epidemiology. Retrieved from


Categories within Epidemiology (Population-Based Health Studies)

Disease Outbreak Control

Postings: 72

Disease Outbreak Control refers to the methods and processes used by healthcare authorities to limit the spread of diseases which have a higher occurrence of cases than would be normally expected.

outcome oriented perinatal surveillance

Describe the role of public health in the monitoring of disease. Explain the need to standardize data sets in measuring population health. Analyze how population health is measured and aggregated nationally.

Healthy People 2010;2020

Hello, I need some help on this assignment To prepare: Review Table 15.1 on page 322 of Novick and Morrow (Healthy People 2010 Targets). Go to Healthy People 2020 and examine the data and targets for 2010 to 2020. By Day 7, submit a 2- to 3-page analysis (not including title page, references, or tables) of the changes

National Guard, Active Forces and Natural Disasters

Active Duty and National Guard units have been used in the past during natural disaster response operations domestically and internationally. Discuss the capabilities and limitations of 1) Active Duty and 2) National Guard being used to support disaster relief efforts.

Food Safety in Natural Disasters

Natural disasters can have serious public health consequences in the days and weeks following a disaster. Choose a recent major natural disaster such as Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast of the United States, the tsunami disaster in Japan, or recent earthquakes in the world. Based on what you've learned in this module, what sort

Diabetes: Causation & Epidemiology in the NJ state

1. Is diabetes tied to either infectious, chronic, gynecological or STI, environmental, cultural or geographic factors? Please explain 2. Provide the specific descriptive epidemiological aspects of diabetes as it relates to the state of New Jersey. Please explain

Disaster Epidemiology

Provide an example of the three prevention strategies: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention as they relate to disaster epidemiology. Justify your rationale

Legislative Action Letter for Texas in Health Sciences

1. Identify a legislator for your state (Texas) to whom you can address the community/public health problem/concern you have identified. 2. Write a concise letter about the problem/concern inclusive of the following tips: • Formal letter, with appropriate address for elected officials • Limit to one page • Introduce

Bioterrorism Preparedness

Analyze 3 different bioterrorism preparedness procedures: one from a government agency, one business plan from the list below, and the one from your facility. 1. What are the positive and negative aspects of these procedures? 2. Does the procedure from your facility contain all of the elements from the government agency? Wh

Logic model and Community Health Education Project

Sample model A logic model is a planning tool to support a project, educational need, clinical service, etc. Prior to beginning your Community Health Education Project, you need to develop a Logic Model to support the community heal

Healthy People and Community Teaching

This assignment requires that you develop AND implement a teaching plan. For this lesson, you will submit your plan in accordance with your Logic Model. In the next lesson, you will submit the evaluations and outcomes, based on your implementation of the plan. Identify a health education topic for which you have objective and

Measles Isolation Precaution Policy

Create an infection control policy and procedure for staff and/or life support equipment in the midst of an infectious disease crisis. Include: - Isolation requirements for the specific organism, - Sterilization requirements for the equipment, - Staffing requirements (ex: one-to-one RT: patient staffing) - PPE requirement

Optimizing Health in the Community

Optimizing Health in the Community A local community health center has identified many uninsured patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of various degrees of severity. Although the community has a hospital based pulmonary rehabilitation program, many insured patients are not eligible and the uninsured cannot affo

Windshield Survey Use in Community Health

Identify either a geopolitical or a phenomenological community with clearly defined boundaries or inclusion criteria for a Windshield Survey. Document this defined community and complete a Windshield Survey including the following areas/assets of assessment: - Boundaries or Inclusion Criteria - Housing and Zoning (age of hou

Public Health vs. Clinical medicine (hospital care)

Health Comparison List the differences and similarities between the hospital health care system and the public health system. Your responses should be full sentences, not just words or phrases, written in the chart below. Simply complete this chart. For example, you know that in health care we focus on the health of the i

Public Service Announcements: General Public & Healthcare

In order to inform both the public and health care workers about a current infectious disease outbreak, the use of service announcements makes it easy to reach several people at once. The language used really depends on the audience the announcement is targeting. You will be targeting two populations, the general public and

Antimicrobial Organisms: Drug Resistant

Write a 750-word paper about a drug resistant organism: - Provide the name of the organism, and explain whether it is site-specific (e.g. swine flu is only in the lungs, where MRSA can be in a wound or in the lungs.) - Explain why this organism is dangerous, - Describe the precautions that need to be taken with a hospital pa

Measles: Infectious Disease

Research one of the diseases covered in this lesson and write a paper (750 words) in APA format comparing that disease 50-75 years ago to today. Tuberculosis, MDR-TB, XDR-TB, Measles Pertussis Discuss the following: 1. Treatment options: what was available 50-75 years ago and what's available now? 2. Patient popula

Rates of traffic injuries in Tanzania and Iran

1. Utilizing road traffic injuries as the injury related public health issue, provide a bried description of what road traffic inuries consist of and identify the incidence rates for 2 countries in which traffic injuries are highly prevalent and a description of populations at risk for it. 2) Explain which community-level fa

How Does the United States Compare in Key Determinants of Health?

- Provide a brief description of the two health indicators you selected, citing specific sources. - Explain how the U.S. ranks on these indicators compared to other nations. - Explain two factors that might influence those rankings and the relative standing of the U.S. compared to the other nations. - Determine which two s

World-wide Social Determinants of Health

A brief explanation of how broader population-focused determinants, which influence health inequalities and inequities, challenge the traditional approach for assessing population health. Then, explain your personal reaction to the concept of considering population determinants to measure population health. Expand on your insigh

Ethical Guiding Principles


Ethics Research

Describe the key principles, guidelines, and regulations governing research with human subjects and relate them to the Tuskegee experiment and the Guatemalan syphilis study.

Pros and Cons of Utilizing Data Analysis Software

- Explain one benefit and one limitation for using software-assisted qualitative data analysis in the preparation of a community health assessment report and justify your response. - Finally, describe one method for data analysis for which you would not use software and explain why.


What is the difference between incidence and prevalence? Present supportive details in your explanation.

Clinical Trials

What is a clinical trial? Support your description with literary rationale. Why do you believe clinical trials are beneficial?