EXSC 3450 - Introduction to Epidemiology

(3) Credit Hours
Prerequisite: BIOL 2452K and (EXSC 3000 or HSCI 3000)
Introduction to Epidemiology provides the student with the background and knowledge to define and explain epidemiology and its various terms so that they will be able to describe the rationales for its methods and determine the nature of causation in the multi-factorial arrangement of environment and behavior on health outcomes in relation to study design. In addition they will be able to show how epidemiology is used to determine the effectiveness of interventions on health outcomes.   The course objectives are:
1.   Define and explain epidemiology and the various terms used within its discipline, e.g., health, disease, epidemic, relative risk, validity, morbidity, mortality, incidence, prevalence, etc.
2.   Describe and provide rationales for the methods of epidemiology including its statistics, various study designs, and determinants of causation.
3.   Describe how methods of epidemiology are used to determine causation of health outcomes and how ethics play a role in this determination in the context of temporality, consistency, strength of association, dose, and biological plausibility.
4.   Determine how various factors might contribute to health outcomes and how to determine the independent contribution these factors to health outcomes, i.e., mitigate the effects of confounders.
5.   Describe how the methods of epidemiology aid in prevention, control and forecasting health outcomes, and the effectiveness of the programs that do so.
6.   Explain through a collection of research/studies the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of promotion of healthy behaviors to enhance health and limit disease.