Modern Epidemiology

The thoroughly revised and updated Third Edition of the acclaimed Modern Epidemiology reflects both the conceptual development of this evolving science and the increasingly focal role that epidemiology plays in dealing with public health and medical problems. Coauthored by three leading epidemiologists, with sixteen additional contributors, this Third Edition is the most comprehensive and cohesive text on the principles and methods of epidemiologic research. The book covers a broad range of concepts and methods, such as basic measures of disease frequency and associations, study design, field methods, threats to validity, and assessing precision. It also covers advanced topics in data analysis such as Bayesian analysis, bias analysis, and hierarchical regression. Chapters examine specific areas of research such as disease surveillance, ecologic studies, social epidemiology, infectious disease epidemiology, genetic and molecular epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, reproductive epidemiology, and clinical epidemiology.

Now in a fully revised Fourth Edition, Modern Epidemiology remains the gold standard text in this complex and evolving field. This edition continues to provide comprehensive coverage of the principles and methods for the design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiologic research. Featuring a new format allowing space for margin notes, this edition • Reflects both the conceptual development of this evolving science and the increasing role that epidemiology plays in improving public health and medicine. • Features new coverage of methods such as agent-based modeling, quasi-experimental designs, mediation analysis, and causal modeling. • Updates coverage of methods such as concepts of interaction, bias analysis, and time-varying designs and analysis. • Continues to cover the full breadth of epidemiologic methods and concepts, including epidemiologic measures of occurrence and effect, study designs, validity, precision, statistical interference, field methods, surveillance, ecologic designs, and use of secondary data sources. • Includes data analysis topics such as Bayesian analysis, probabilistic bias analysis, time-to-event analysis, and an extensive overview of modern regression methods including logistic and survival regression, splines, longitudinal and cluster-correlated/hierarchical data analysis, propensity scores and other scoring methods, and marginal structural models. • Summarizes the history, specialized aspects, and future directions of topical areas, including among others social epidemiology, infectious disease epidemiology, genetic and molecular epidemiology, psychiatric epidemiology, injury and violence epidemiology, and pharmacoepidemiology.

Offers a straightforward yet rigorous presentation of epidemiologic concepts and methods. Fundamental concepts such as causation and causal inference are covered, as well as basic measures and study types (including cohort and case-control studies)and several sophisticated approaches to data analysis. The second edition has been updated and expanded to reflect recent technical developments and conceptual advances.

Offers a straightforward yet rigorous presentation of epidemiologic concepts and methods. Fundamental concepts such as causation and causal inference are covered, as well as basic measures and study types (including cohort and case-control studies)and several sophisticated approaches to data analysis. The second edition has been updated and expanded to reflect recent technical developments and conceptual advances.

Routine applications of advanced statistical methods on real data have become possible in the last ten years because desktop computers have become much more powerful and cheaper. However, proper understanding of the challenging statistical theory behind those methods remains essential for correct application and interpretation, and rarely seen in the medical literature. Modern Methods for Epidemiology provides a concise introduction to recent development in statistical methodologies for epidemiological and biomedical researchers. Many of these methods have become indispensible tools for researchers working in epidemiology and medicine but are rarely discussed in details by standard textbooks of biostatistics or epidemiology. Contributors of this book are experienced researchers and experts in their respective fields. This textbook provides a solid starting point for those who are new to epidemiology, and for those looking for guidance in more modern statistical approaches to observational epidemiology. Epidemiological and biomedical researchers who wish to overcome the mathematical barrier of applying those methods to their research will find this book an accessible and helpful reference for self-learning and research. This book is also a good source for teaching postgraduate students in medical statistics or epidemiology.

The second edition of this essential introduction to epidemiology presents the core concepts in a unified approach that aims to cut through the fog and elucidate the fundamental concepts.

Hardly a day goes by without news headlines concerning infectious disease threats. Currently the spectre of a pandemic of influenza A|H1N1 is raising its head, and heated debates are taking place about the pro’s and con’s of vaccinating young girls against human papilloma virus. For an evidence-based and responsible communication of infectious disease topics to avoid misunderstandings and overreaction of the public, we need solid scientific knowledge and an understanding of all aspects of infectious diseases and their control. The aim of our book is to present the reader with the general picture and the main ideas of the subject. The book introduces the reader to methodological aspects of epidemiology that are specific for infectious diseases and provides insight into the epidemiology of some classes of infectious diseases characterized by their main modes of transmission. This choice of topics bridges the gap between scientific research on the clinical, biological, mathematical, social and economic aspects of infectious diseases and their applications in public health. The book will help the reader to understand the impact of infectious diseases on modern society and the instruments that policy makers have at their disposal to deal with these challenges. It is written for students of the health sciences, both of curative medicine and public health, and for experts that are active in these and related domains, and it may be of interest for the educated layman since the technical level is kept relatively low.

Arranged to facilitate use and highlight key concepts, this clear and concise text also includes many practical exercises, case studies, and real-world applications. Utilizing the modern biostatistical approach to studying disease, Epidemiology Kept Simple, Second Edition will provide readers with the tools to interpret epidemiological data, understand disease concepts, and prepare for board exams. The author fully explains all new terminology and minimizes the use of technical language, while emphasizing real-life practice in modern public health and biomedical research settings.