Epidemiologic Methods. Studying the Occurrence of Illness

Description

• Covers many concepts in greater depth than most other introductory books, making it an ideal course text or practical reference for those learning and conducting epidemiologic studies
• Uses real-life examples to make material more consequential and applicable
• Provides thought-provoking questions and answers at the end of nearly every chapter
• Addresses a well-balanced set of topics in the key content areas of a graduate-level course in epidemiologic methods
• Includes material on several topics rarely covered in other introductory texts, including temporal aspects of exposure-disease associations, approaches to enhance the "sensitivity" of epidemiologic studies, use of epidemiologic methods for evaluation of policies and programs, and ecological/multi-level studies

New to this Edition:

• Additional exercises at the end of each chapter
• Expanded treatment of several key topics, including confounding
• Updated examples throughout the text

This second edition of Epidemiologic Methods offers a rigorous introduction to the concepts and tools of epidemiologic research. Aimed chiefly at future epidemiologists, the book offers clear descriptions, practical examples, and question/answer sections for each of the science's key concepts. Authored by two award-winning epidemiology instructors, this book is ideally suited for use as a text in a graduate-level course sequence in epidemiologic methods.

The book's chapters are organized around three main themes: general concepts and tools of epidemiology; major study designs; and special topics, including screening, outbreak investigations, and use of epidemiology to evaluate policies and programs.

With additional exercises at the end of each chapter and expanded attention to topics such as confounding, this new edition of Epidemiologic Methods is an indispensable resource for the next generation of epidemiologic study.

Contents

Preface
1 Introduction: An Epidemic of Blindness in Young Children
2 Diseases and Populations
3 Disease Frequency: Basic
4 Disease Frequency: Advanced
5 Overview of Study Designs
6 Sources of Data on Disease Occurrence
7 Person, Place, and Time
8 Inferring a Causal Relation Between Exposure and Disease
9 Measures of Excess Risk
10 Measurement Error
11 Confounding and its Control: Basic
12 Confounding and Its Control: Advanced
13 Randomized Trials
14 Cohort Studies
15 Case-Control Studies
16 Ecologic and Multi-Level Studies
17 Induction Periods and Latent Periods
18 Improving the Sensitivity of Epidemiologic Studies
19 Screening
20 Outbreak Investigation
21 Evaluating the Effects of Policies on Health

Authors

Noel S. Weiss, MD, DrPH, has been a faculty member at the University of Washington and at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center since 1973. His research has been in the areas of cancer epidemiology and clinical epidemiology. He has authored or co-authored more than 600 publications, including three books. At the University of Washington he has received awards for teaching and mentoring, and in 2011 was selected by the Congress of Epidemiology as the first winner of the Alfred Evans Award for teaching and mentoring.

Thomas D. Koepsell, MD, MPH, is Professor Emeritus and past Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. He has conducted research on a wide variety of noninfectious diseases, and has over 375 publications. He is also Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Services and has applied epidemiologic methods in the evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Dr. Koepsell has received three prizes for outstanding teaching and served as President of the Society for Epidemiologic Research.