Study Guilde 2

Section 1: Epidemiology Foundations

Flashcard 1:
Q: Who is considered the father of modern epidemiology?
A: John Snow.

Flashcard 2:
Q: What disease did John Snow help control, and how?
A: Cholera; by identifying contaminated water as the source of infection.

Flashcard 3:
Q: What was the British Doctors’ Study?
A: A study that demonstrated the strong link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.

Flashcard 4:
Q: What public health measures resulted from the British Doctors' Study?
A: Warning labels on cigarette packs and smoking bans.

Flashcard 5:
Q: How did epidemiology help reduce SIDS?
A: The "Back to Sleep" campaign, based on research showing infants sleeping on their backs had a lower risk of SIDS.

Flashcard 6:
Q: Define epidemiology.
A: The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations and applying this study to control health problems.

Flashcard 7:
Q: What is the epidemiologic transition?
A: The shift from infectious diseases to chronic, non-communicable diseases as societies develop.

Section 2: Epidemiologic Data & Surveillance

Flashcard 8:
Q: What is morbidity?
A: The presence or rate of disease in a population.

Flashcard 9:
Q: What is mortality?
A: The occurrence of death in a population.

Flashcard 10:
Q: Name some sources of epidemiologic data.
A: NVSS, NHIS, NHANES, SEER, CDC, BRFSS.

Flashcard 11:
Q: What is surveillance in epidemiology?
A: The ongoing collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data for public health action.

Flashcard 12:
Q: Give examples of surveillance systems in the U.S.
A: NNDSS, Wastewater Surveillance, BRFSS, Flu Surveillance Network.

Flashcard 13:
Q: What are reportable conditions?
A: Diseases that must be reported to public health authorities (e.g., tuberculosis, COVID-19).

Flashcard 14:
Q: What are notifiable conditions?
A: Diseases voluntarily reported for national monitoring (e.g., West Nile virus, foodborne illnesses).

Flashcard 15:
Q: What information do death certificates provide?
A: Cause of death, date and location, demographics, contributing factors.

Section 3: Measures of Disease Frequency

Flashcard 16:
Q: Define prevalence.
A: The total number of existing cases of a disease in a population at a given time.

Flashcard 17:
Q: Define incidence.
A: The number of new cases occurring in a population over a specific period.

Flashcard 18:
Q: What is the relationship between prevalence, incidence, and duration?
A: Prevalence ≈ Incidence × Duration.

Flashcard 19:
Q: What is cumulative incidence (risk)?
A: The probability of new cases developing in a disease-free population over a specific period.

Flashcard 20:
Q: How is cumulative incidence (risk) calculated?
A: Number of new cases over a time period divided by the population at risk at the start of the period.

Flashcard 21:
Q: What is risk ratio (relative risk)?
A: A comparison of risk between exposed and unexposed groups.

Flashcard 22:
Q: How is risk ratio calculated?
A: Risk in the exposed group divided by risk in the unexposed group.

Flashcard 23:
Q: What do different values of risk ratio indicate?
A: RR > 1: Exposure increases risk.
RR = 1: No association.
RR < 1: Exposure is protective.

Section 4: Epidemiologic Study Design & Causation

Flashcard 24:
Q: What are the Bradford Hill Causal Criteria?
A: Temporality, Dose-Response Relationship, Strength of Association, Plausibility, Consistency, Analogy, Specificity, Experimental Evidence.

Flashcard 25:
Q: Why is temporality important in causation?
A: It ensures the cause precedes the effect.

Flashcard 26:
Q: What does a dose-response relationship suggest?
A: Higher exposure levels increase disease risk.

Flashcard 27:
Q: How does consistency support causation?
A: If the same association is observed across multiple studies, it strengthens causal evidence.

Flashcard 28:
Q: What is the purpose of descriptive epidemiology?
A: To describe disease patterns by examining person, place, and time variables.

Section 5: Study Sampling & Bias

Flashcard 29:
Q: What are the main types of sampling methods?
A: Simple Random Sampling, Stratified Sampling, Cluster Sampling, Convenience Sampling.

Flashcard 30:
Q: Define bias.
A: Systematic error in study design or execution that distorts findings.

Flashcard 31:
Q: Define confounding.
A: A third variable distorts the true relationship between exposure and outcome.

Flashcard 32:
Q: What does the BIGGEMS acronym stand for?
A: Behavior, Infections, Genetics, Geography, Environment, Medical Care, Socioeconomic Status.