Epidemiology

How it is used

The core science of public health. A person who does it is an epidemiologist; the adjective is epidemiological (UK) or epidemiologic (US). Common branches include field, infectious disease, chronic disease and social epidemiology.

Example sentences

1. We need someone with a background in epidemiology to design the survey.

2. The epidemiological data point to a link between the water supply and the cases.

Common collocations

• field epidemiology
• infectious disease epidemiology
• epidemiological data
• epidemiological study

Related terms

• incidenceThe number of new cases of a disease in a population during a set period, usually given as a rate such as 25 new cases per 100,000 people per year.
• prevalenceThe proportion of a population that has a disease or condition at a given time, counting both new and existing cases, often given as a percentage.
• cohort studyAn observational study that follows a group of people over time, comparing those with and without an exposure to see who develops a disease or outcome.
• surveillanceThe continuous, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health data, shared in good time so that action can be taken to prevent and control disease.
• public healthThe science and practice of protecting and improving the health of whole populations through prevention, education, policy and organised community action, rather than by treating individual patients.

More terms: Measuring Health and Disease

• mortality rate
• morbidity
• life expectancy
• case fatality rate
• infant mortality rate
• maternal mortality ratio
• burden of disease
• excess mortality
• DALY
• age-standardized rate