Epidemiologists

Module 2
Epidemiology: The Study of Disease, Injury, and Death in the Community; and Prevention and Control of Diseases and Health Conditions
Required Readings
• Textbook: Read Chapter 2 An Introduction to Community Health (brief edition) by James F. Mckenzie and Robert R. Pinger
o Tip: As you read the chapters for this week, construct a table of rates and measures for future reference
• Visit the MMWR website and familiarize yourself with the many links by clicking on them and reading some of the information available
Suggested Readings
• Understanding the Fundamentals of Epidemiology (Click On) https://www.epidemiolog.net/evolving/TableOfContents.htm]
•
• John Snow, Father of Epidemiology (Click On)
• https://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow.html
• NCHS Fact Sheets (Click On) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/fact_sheets.htm

Compare and Contrast Table Assignment – Read these instructions carefully!

To receive full credit for this assignment (20 Points) you must prepare a TABLE that includes the characteristics and uses of 3 major types

(descriptive, analytic, experimental) and 2 subtypes (case/control, cohort) of epidemiological studies presented in your readings (see page

85). DO NOT copy or cut and paste this from an Internet site, book, etc. You will not receive credit if your table is cut and pasted from

source material. Make your OWN table!! Epidemiologists often present their information in table format.

Include in your table columns for each type of study, the purpose of each type of study described in your text (i.e., what the specific study

design might be used for in research), strengths, weaknesses/limitations commonly associated with each type of study, and an actual example

for each type of study in your table. Include the full citations of the articles/studies used as your examples. You may find examples by

searching the electronic database for the SPC library – search first for ejournals that include Epidemiology in their title – there are many

– then look at the abstracts of a few articles that interest you and determine which format was utilized. Many research articles identify the

type of study that was conducted in the abstract or text of the article. Provide a brief summary of the article that explains the study

design (i.e., This is a cohort study that sought to assess the influence of gender on the success of limb-fitting after amputation). Again,

do not simply copy or cut and paste information from the source.

Develop your table in WORD – look for Insert, Table; then determine how many rows and columns you will need; you may adjust them as you

proceed with your typing. Plan ahead – you do not want to have columns that allow you to print only one or two words in them (thus, the

columns would end up being pages long!). If you do not know how to do this, do a Google search for Developing Tables in WORD, or go to the

Microsoft website for assistance.

Note: You are NOT to use the research articles to fill in each section of your table – use your readings to find information related to the

characteristics/description of the 5 different types of study designs. Use the articles to provide an example of each of the study designs

(thus, you will cite 5 different articles as examples).

Remember to use APA format – correct font, proper spelling and grammar, appropriate citations, title page, references, etc.

Be sure to review the grading Rubric so that you will understand how the paper will be graded. Paste the rubric to the end of your paper!

Comparison of Types of Epidemiological Studies Type of Study
In this column list the 5 types of studies discussed in the text Purpose
In this column indicate what this type of study design is generally used for/well suited for Strengths
In this column list strengths of this study design Weaknesses
In this column list the weaknesses of this study design Example
In this column include an example (with appropriate citation) and brief overview illustrating the type of study
Cohort This study design is often used for… Strengths of this study design include…(list them) Weaknesses of this type of study

include… (list them) Marcfarlane, G. J., Biggs, A., Maconochie, N., Hotopf, M., Doyle, P., & Lunt, M. (2003). Incidence of cancer among UK

Gulf war veterans: Cohort study. BMJ,327, 1373-1375. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7428.1
This study used a cohort study design to determine if cancer rates were higher in veterans deployed during the Gulf War than in those who

were not.