DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY

Preparing Your Descriptive Epidemiology Paper

Select a health problem to explore in detail by using a descriptive  epidemiologic approach. For examples of health problems or diseases that  might be studied, refer to the lists below.

• Search for data on the health problem from one or more of the following sources. 
  • Morbidity and mortality reports (vital statistics): World Health  Organization and international reports; U.S. federal, state, and local  annual and periodic reports
  • Current literature on the selected health problem
  • Reports of special surveys
• Assess the problem. Briefly evaluate the agent and the condition.  Examine the sources noted above for data on morbidity and mortality in  the selected health problem.
   
• Summarize these data on the distribution of the selected health  problem according to the following factors using tables, graphs, or  other illustrations pertaining to quantitative and qualitative data. 
  • Host characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, and ethnic group
  • Environmental attributes such as geographic areas, social and economic factors, occupation, and education
  • Any additional characteristics that contributes to an epidemiologic description of the disease, including biostatistical data.
• Summarize any current hypotheses that have been proposed to explain  the observed distribution. List the principal gaps in knowledge about  the distribution of the health problem.
• Propose areas for further epidemiologic research, and critically appraise the data as a whole.
   

Communicable Diseases

• AIDS
• Botulism
• Cholera
• Dengue fever
• Encephalitis, anthropod-borne
• Hepatitis A, B, or C
• Influenza
• Malaria
• Moningococcal meningitis
• Mononucleosis
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory streptococcal infection
• Rubella
• Tetanus
• Tuberculosis
• Typhoid
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Whooping cough (pertussis)

Chronic and Other Conditions

• Alcoholism
• Asthma
• Cancer (breast, cervical, prostate)
• Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
• Diabetes mellitus: Type I or Type II
• Emphysema, bronchitis
• Essential hypertension
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity epidemic
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Sickle cell anemia
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Suicides