Quantitative Methods: Basics of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The chapter will describe epidemiological indicators adopted to evaluate the burden of disease, to estimate a risk related to an exposure, and to assess health status changes. Moreover, a few elements of epidemiological reasoning (bias, confounding, study designs) and a pragmatic framework of statistical reasoning will be presented. It will be described the role played by an appropriate methodology driven by a specific research question, the role of the study designs to address knowledge gaps and confounders.