1. What are the three main types of epidemiological studies and what are their
advantages and disadvantages?
Answer: The three main types of epidemiological studies are descriptive,
analytical and experimental. Descriptive studies describe the distribution of a
disease or a health outcome in a population, such as the frequency, patterns
and trends. They are useful for generating hypotheses and identifying potential
risk factors, but they cannot establish causal relationships. Analytical studies
compare groups of people with different exposures or characteristics to test
hypotheses and determine associations between risk factors and outcomes.
They can be observational (such as cohort, case-control or cross-sectional
studies) or interventional (such as randomized controlled trials). They are useful
for testing causality and evaluating interventions, but they may be affected by
confounding, bias or ethical issues. Experimental studies manipulate the
exposure or intervention in a controlled setting to measure the effect on the
outcome. They are the most rigorous and reliable type of study, but they may
not be feasible, ethical or generalizable to real-world settings.
2. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence and how are they
calculated?
Answer: Incidence is the number of new cases of a disease or a health outcome
that occur in a population during a specified period of time. It is calculated by
dividing the number of new cases by the population at risk during that time.
Prevalence is the proportion of people in a population who have a disease or a
health outcome at a given point in time or over a specified period of time. It is
calculated by dividing the number of existing cases by the total population
during that time. Incidence reflects the risk of developing a disease or a health
outcome, while prevalence reflects the burden or impact of a disease or a
health outcome in a population.
Category | Exams and Certifications |
Comments | 0 |
Rating | |
Sales | 0 |