Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of disease as well as of its determinants and consequences for human populations. It uses empirical methods and conceptual models to answer questions of how much disease there is, what specific factors put individuals at risk, and how severe the outcomes are in patient populations, in order to inform public health policymaking. The measurement of disease occurrence begins with the estimation of incidence and prevalence, which is often followed by attempts to unravel risk factors and causal mechanisms of disease. Disparities in health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States and other countries are well documented. Unfortunately, the lack of specific data undermines reliable baseline and trend analyses of health, health‐care access, cost, and quality by group characteristics. Computational epidemiology is the latest development and promises better explanation, prediction, and control of disease outbreaks.

Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Estimation · Ethnic group · Health care · Pathology · Political science · Population · Public health · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Data-Driven Disease Surveillance · Demography · Epidemiology · Medicine · Gerontology