| An example of an epidemiological study would be ‘ Incidence of Thalasemia in the Sindhi community or the incidence of HIV among Intravenous Drug Users – these would be examples of descriptive studies |
When trying to understand the causes or determinants of a particular disease in a certain population – this would be an example of an analytical study - for example trying to understand the determinants of diabetes among Gujratis. |
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| Leading Causes of Death in the United States in 1900 and 1990 (National Center for Health Statistics, 1992) |
1900 |
1990 |
Influenza & Pneumonia |
Diseases of the Heart |
Tuberculosis |
Malignant Neoplasms (cancer) |
Gastroenteritis |
Unintentional Injuries |
Diseases of the Heart |
Cerebrovascular Stroke |
Vascular Lesions of the cns |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
Chronic Nephritis |
Pneumonia and Influenza |
All accidents |
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Cancer |
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Certain diseases of early infancy |
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Diptheria |
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(Adapted from Taylor, 1995 pp 8) |
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Notice the change in the leading causes of death from 1900 to 1990
What causes these causes? |
Top 3 leading causes of death are all viral and bacterial in 1900 – however the top 5 causes in 1990 are neither viral nor bacterial (due to widespread use of antibiotics) but are chronic illnesses (except for Unintentional injuries) and are linked to lifestyle factors. Also Diptheria and diseases of early infancy are completely eliminated from the 1990 list due to widespread vaccination
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