Public Health: Epidemiology Basics
Key epidemiology concepts — incidence, prevalence, study designs, and outbreak investigation.
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Define incidence in the context of epidemiology.
Incidence is the number of new cases of a disease that develop in a specific population over a defined period of time.
What is the primary difference between prevalence and incidence?
Prevalence measures the total number of existing cases (old and new) at a specific point in time, while incidence measures only new cases over a period.
How does increasing the survival time of a chronic disease affect its prevalence?
It increases prevalence because individuals stay in the 'diseased' pool for a longer duration without being cured or dying.
Which study design is most appropriate for investigating a rare disease?
A case-control study is most efficient because it starts with individuals who already have the disease.
Define sensitivity in diagnostic testing.
Sensitivity is the probability that a test correctly identifies those who actually have the disease (True Positive Rate).
Define specificity in diagnostic testing.
Specificity is the probability that a test correctly identifies those who do not have the disease (True Negative Rate).
What happens to the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of a test as the prevalence of the disease in the population increases?
The Positive Predictive Value (PPV) increases as prevalence increases.
In a 2x2 table for a cohort study, what is the formula for Relative Risk (RR)?
RR = [a / (a + b)] / [c / (c + d)], representing the risk in the exposed group divided by the risk in the unexposed group.
What is the formula for the Odds Ratio (OR) typically used in case-control studies?
OR = (ad) / (bc), which represents the odds of exposure in cases divided by the odds of exposure in controls.
What is the defining characteristic of a cross-sectional study?
It measures both exposure and outcome simultaneously at a single point in time.
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