Module 3: Investigations in Epidemiology

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and their definitions related to the investigations in Module 3 of epidemiology.

Causation

A relationship where one event is the result of the occurrence of another event.

Association

A link or correlation between two events or variables, which does not necessarily imply causation.

Descriptive Epidemiology

The study of the distribution of health-related conditions and behaviors in a population identified in terms of person, place, and time.

Analytical Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology that focuses on testing causal hypotheses by examining the relationship between exposures and outcomes.

Confounder

An external variable that can influence both the independent and dependent variables in a study, potentially misleading the results.

Selection Bias

A type of bias resulting from the selection of individuals, groups, or data in a way that randomization is not achieved, which affects the outcomes of the study.

Reversed Time Order

A situation where the supposed outcome is actually causing the exposure rather than the other way around.

Relative Risk

A measure of the strength of the association between an exposure and an outcome, calculated as the ratio of the probability of the outcome occurring in the exposed group versus the unexposed group.

Dose-Response Relationship

A correlation between the amount of exposure to a substance and the severity of the outcome resulting from that exposure.

Weight of Evidence Review

A systematic evaluation method that considers multiple criteria to determine if evidence supports a causal relationship:

1) Is the evidence consistent?

2) How strong is the association?

3) Is there a dose-response relationship?

4) Is the epidemiologic evidence coherent with what was previously known?

5) Experimental evidence

What is chance?

Chance is the likelihood or probability of a specific event occurring, often expressed as a fraction or percentage.