Understand the main methods of descriptive epidemiology. Understand the meaning of the cause of disease and risk factors. Identify the sequence of investigation for studying a causal association. Understand the main quantitative methods for identifying and measuring risk factors, demonstrating the ability to interpret the results. Recognize and distinguish the various epidemiological studies, describing their characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. Learn the principles of epidemiology of infectious diseases, with particular reference to COVID-19.
Teaching Methods
Lectures
Assessment Methods
Written test (analysis of a published paper)
Texts
The slides presented in class and the material delivered are sufficient. In-depth texts can be suggested in class.
Contents
Introduction to epidemiology, history. Data and main measures: Frequencies, rates, ratios, prevalence and incidence, measures of risk. Observational epidemiology: examples, current epidemiological data sources, main measures. The concept of health and disease, the study of disease causes, the sequence of studies for causal relationships, association, cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, and experimental studies (outline). Chi-squared, Relative risk, Odds ratio and its confidence intervals (meaning), standardization of rates, confounding variables, and confounding analysis. Epidemiology of infections: states of the infectious process, from infection to disease. Baseline reproduction number (R0), R0 and herd immunity, net reproduction number (Rt), Rt and effect of vaccinations.
