Basic epidemiology

The second edition provides updated examples of how and why the basics of epidemiology are essential to anyone who is required to understand and apply the principles of disease causation and prevention. The book has a particular emphasis on modifiable environmental factors and encourages the application of epidemiology to the prevention of disease and the promotion of health, including environmental and occupational health. It shows how good clinical practice is informed by clinical epidemiology; and its lively, concise style is designed to stimulate a continuing interest in the subject. This edition includes comprehensive chapters on the nature and uses of epidemiology; the epidemiological approach to defining and measuring the occurrence of health-related states in populations; the strengths and limitations of epidemiological study designs, causation, the contribution of epidemiology to the prevention of disease, the promotion of health and the development of health policy, and the role of epidemiology in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of health care.