Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary method by which passive surveillance collects data?
What is the primary method by which passive surveillance collects data?
Which of the following is a disadvantage of passive surveillance?
Which of the following is a disadvantage of passive surveillance?
Which demographic group is noted to have lower rates of breastfeeding?
Which demographic group is noted to have lower rates of breastfeeding?
What percentage of infants in the US are breastfed through 6 months of age?
What percentage of infants in the US are breastfed through 6 months of age?
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What was the purpose of the MedWatch program instituted by the FDA?
What was the purpose of the MedWatch program instituted by the FDA?
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What is a primary use of descriptive epidemiologic studies?
What is a primary use of descriptive epidemiologic studies?
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Which factor is associated with lower frequencies of breastfeeding among mothers?
Which factor is associated with lower frequencies of breastfeeding among mothers?
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Which statement is true regarding breastfeeding in metropolitan versus non-metropolitan areas?
Which statement is true regarding breastfeeding in metropolitan versus non-metropolitan areas?
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What is one implication of the descriptive study highlighted in the findings regarding breastfeeding frequency?
What is one implication of the descriptive study highlighted in the findings regarding breastfeeding frequency?
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Which of the following is NOT a person variable mentioned in the content?
Which of the following is NOT a person variable mentioned in the content?
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After conducting a descriptive study, what is the next step for an epidemiologist?
After conducting a descriptive study, what is the next step for an epidemiologist?
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What does analytic epidemiology primarily seek to answer?
What does analytic epidemiology primarily seek to answer?
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What trend is observed regarding breastfeeding after infants reach three months of age?
What trend is observed regarding breastfeeding after infants reach three months of age?
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Which factor is associated with lower frequency of breastfeeding according to the findings?
Which factor is associated with lower frequency of breastfeeding according to the findings?
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How does descriptive epidemiology aim to characterize health phenomena?
How does descriptive epidemiology aim to characterize health phenomena?
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What hypothesis might explain the drop-off in breastfeeding when mothers return to work?
What hypothesis might explain the drop-off in breastfeeding when mothers return to work?
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Study Notes
Descriptive Epidemiology
- Focuses on characterizing the occurrence of diseases or other health outcomes
- Descriptive epidemiology looks at the "who, where, and when" of a health event.
- Key objective is to describe variables related to person, place, and time.
- Surveillance systems are a key data source.
Lecture Objectives
- Identify and discuss descriptive epidemiology data sources related to surveillance systems.
- Identify epidemiological variables in terms of person, place, and time.
Passive Surveillance
- Professionals report cases to a surveillance system.
- Notifiable diseases, disease registries, and hospital data are examples.
- A valuable, inexpensive information source.
- Medwatch, an example of passive surveillance, depends on voluntary reporting from the public.
- Reporting may be incomplete, leading to "false positives."
Illustrative Example: Suprofen-Associated Flank Pain
- Data collection on consumer complaints and reports for suprofen.
- The drug was removed from the market due to a correlation between its use and flank pain.
- Shows the use of passive surveillance.
Table 4-2: Estimated Percentage of Infants Born in 2004
- Shows the percentage of infants exclusively breastfed at 3 and 6 months old.
- Data is broken down by several characteristics to identify relationships.
- Women with lower income and education, and who are unmarried or younger are less likely to exclusively breastfeed.
- Data helps researchers investigate breastfeeding trends.
Additional Observations on Breastfeeding
- Percentage of exclusive breastfeeding decreases by age 3 months.
- Non-Hispanic black women are less likely to exclusively breastfeed.
Uses of Descriptive Epidemiologic Studies
- Track disease trends, describe health and disease occurrences, and monitor health problems.
- Compare disease occurrence across populations and time periods.
- Breastfeeding example—researchers identified factors (like income, education, location, and marital status) associated with exclusive breastfeeding.
- Identify risk factors to help understand the cause of health issues.
Provide a Basis for Planning and Evaluation of Health Services
- Data identifies health needs to inform resource allocation and program development.
- Descriptive studies on breastfeeding revealed that variables like marital status, education, and income affect feeding choices.
- This allows for programmatic interventions, or targets for resource allocation.
Identifying Problems for Further Investigation
- Identify areas that need further investigation through analytical research.
- Breastfeeding example—the drop-off in breastfeeding after 3 months suggested that factors like work and scheduling needs were significant.
Epidemiological Inferences from Descriptive Data
- Describes the exposures and outcomes and draws conclusions.
- Aims to categorize and analyze health phenomena through "who, where, and when".
- Includes: quantifying findings, identifying patterns, evaluating potential biases (confounding), and drawing inferences.
Epidemiologic Variables
- Characteristics of people or groups.
- Examples include location (place), time period investigated, and characteristics of individuals.
Person Variables
- Includes factors like age, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education.
- Provides insights into disease rates and susceptibility, by population subgroups and variations.
- Important for understanding disease-related risk factors, rates, and associations.
Age
- A critical factor impacting health conditions and illnesses.
- Age-specific rates are used to analyze health patterns and differences in various populations.
- Example: USA 2005—age-based cancer mortality rates increased significantly across different age groups.
Sex
- Data on sex disparities in health outcomes, including mortality and morbidity, is important.
- Sex-specific trends, or differences, are important to identify and analyze.
- Example: Males show higher age-adjusted mortality rates than Females.
Illustrative Example: Sports-related Injuries
- Data on sports-related injuries and age by gender.
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Description
This quiz explores the principles of descriptive epidemiology, focusing on the characterization of disease occurrence and the importance of surveillance systems. You'll learn about key variables related to person, place, and time, and the role of passive surveillance in data collection. Test your understanding of these crucial concepts in public health.
