1. Understand and compare the different measures of morbidity
a. Incidence and prevalence
i. Define
A prevalence rate is the proportion of the population that has a health condition at a
point in time. For example, 7
...
1. Understand and compare the different measures of morbidity
a. Incidence and prevalence
i. Define
A prevalence rate is the proportion of the population that has a health condition at a
point in time. For example, 70 influenza case-patients in March 2005 reported in County
A.
Incidence rate or person-time rate is a measure of incidence that incorporates time
directly into the denominator. Incidence refers to the occurrence of new cases of disease
or injury in a population over a specified period of time. Although
some epidemiologists use incidence to mean the number of new
cases in a community, others use incidence to mean the number of
new cases per unit of population.
ii. Understand why data are important for measuring risk
iii. Interpret findings
Interpretation involves putting the study findings into perspective, identifying the key
take-home messages, and making sound recommendations. Doing so requires that the
epidemiologist be knowledgeable about the subject matter and the strengths and
weaknesses of the study
iv. Understand the relationship between incidence and prevalence and
impact of each on duration of disease
The two primary measures of morbidity are incidence and prevalence.
• Incidence rates reflect the occurrence of new disease in a population. An incidence
rate describes how quickly disease occurs in a population.
• Prevalence reflects the presence of disease in a population.
v. Calculate incidence rate
Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified period
Time each person was observed, totaled for all persons
vi. Calculate prevalence rate
Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified period
Time each person was observed, totaled for all persons
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