Section A: Epidemiology is the study of disease patterns, their causes and means of prevention to control the health problems in a population (Fos, 2011). When an epidemiologist realizes that there is a public health issue; they first identify what and where the health problem is, who is it affecting and when it occurred. They will also look at the relationship between the disease and the genetics and behaviors of the people affected and the condition of the environment (Fos, 2011). In doing so, they will establish a pattern of the disease occurrence and develop prevention strategies. Then they can develop a public health program with their target audience’s needs in mind and educate them in an appropriate matter, so that is can be controlled
…show more content…
Risk factors are the causes of a disease; it can be genetics or behavioral choices (Fos, 2011) Some possible risk factors for cancer includes: age, genetics, career, smoking, tanning, excessive drinking, poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, location of residence, and access to health care. In our case, the agent is the asbestos, a carcinogen. The host is the human and their genetic susceptibility. The environment is how close or far away they live from the defunct paper mill in Lockport, because when the demolition occurred, it caused the asbestos debris to be exposed in the air. Therefore a host who is within close proximity to the environment in which the agent is abundant, they are more likely to be at risk for …show more content…
Incidence measures the number of new cases of a disease that develops in a population during a specific time frame, whereas prevalence is the total number of cases in the area and can be measured at any given point in time (Fos, 2011) The census records information about the residents of a specified population; such as age, gender, where they live, ethnicity, and property ownership (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011) The census is important for epidemiologists because they can use the population and such data to correctly configure a rate for morbidity, mortality, incidence, and prevalence since they all require a denominator consisting of the total number of people living in the area at any given time (Fos,
Risk factors are the causes of a disease; it can be genetics or behavioral choices (Fos, 2011) Some possible risk factors for cancer includes: age, genetics, career, smoking, tanning, excessive drinking, poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, location of residence, and access to health care. In our case, the agent is the asbestos, a carcinogen. The host is the human and their genetic susceptibility. The environment is how close or far away they live from the defunct paper mill in Lockport, because when the demolition occurred, it caused the asbestos debris to be exposed in the air. Therefore a host who is within close proximity to the environment in which the agent is abundant, they are more likely to be at risk for …show more content…
Incidence measures the number of new cases of a disease that develops in a population during a specific time frame, whereas prevalence is the total number of cases in the area and can be measured at any given point in time (Fos, 2011) The census records information about the residents of a specified population; such as age, gender, where they live, ethnicity, and property ownership (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011) The census is important for epidemiologists because they can use the population and such data to correctly configure a rate for morbidity, mortality, incidence, and prevalence since they all require a denominator consisting of the total number of people living in the area at any given time (Fos,