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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Measuring Health and Disease

Prevalence

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

/ˈprevələns/nounCore term

In public health & epidemiology, prevalence means: The 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.

In Turkish: prevalans, yaygınlık

How it is used

Prevalence shows how big a problem is and helps plan services. Point prevalence refers to one moment, period prevalence to a span of time. Chronic conditions build up a high prevalence because people live with them for many years.

Example sentences

  1. In our survey, the prevalence of smoking among adult men was 38 percent.

  2. Hypertension prevalence increases sharply with age.

Common collocations

  • high prevalence
  • point prevalence
  • prevalence survey
  • prevalence of obesity
  • estimated prevalence
  • 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.
  • cross-sectional studyA study that collects information from a population at one point in time, like a snapshot, to measure how common a disease, behaviour or exposure is.
  • burden of diseaseThe total impact of a disease or health problem on a population, measured by deaths, illness, disability and sometimes economic cost.
  • epidemiologyThe study of how often diseases and other health problems occur in different groups of people, why they occur and how they can be controlled.

More terms: Measuring Health and Disease

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.