6 Questions
Which of the following is a criteria to establish a causal relationship between an exposure and a disease?
Biological plausibility
What is the term used to describe the consistency of research findings across different studies?
Consistency
Which of the following criteria is used to establish a causal relationship by evaluating the timing of exposure and disease?
Temporality
What type of study is used to verify the causal relationship between an exposure and a disease by removing or reducing the exposure?
Interventional study
Which of the following is NOT a criterion to establish a causal relationship between an exposure and a disease?
Biological implausibility
What is the term used to describe the relationship between the level and duration of exposure and the severity of disease?
Biological gradient
Study Notes
Strength of Association
- The greater the impact of an exposure on the occurrence or development of a disease, the stronger the likelihood of a causal relationship.
Consistency
- Different research reports have generally similar conclusions.
Specificity
- Exposure to a specific risk factor results in a clearly defined pattern of disease or diseases.
Temporality or Time Sequence
- The exposure of interest preceded the disease by a period of time consistent with any proposed biological mechanism.
Biological Gradient
- The greater the level and duration of exposure, the greater the severity of diseases or their incidence.
Biological Plausibility
- From what is known of toxicology, chemistry, physical properties, or other attributes of the studied risk or hazard, it makes biological sense to suggest that exposure leads to the disease.
Coherence
- A general synthesis of all the evidence leads to the conclusion that there is a cause-effect relationship in a broad sense and in terms of general common sense.
Interventional Studies
- Primary preventative trials may verify whether removing a specific hazard or reducing a specific risk from the working environment or work activity eliminates the development of a specific disease or reduces its incidence.
Understand the fundamental principles of epidemiology, including strength of association, consistency, specificity, and temporality, to establish causal relationships in disease development.
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