### **Introduction to Epidemiology and Public Health**

### ### Course component description

This course offers a foundational understanding of epidemiological principles and their application in public health. Students will explore the methodologies used to investigate, analyze, and prevent disease in populations. The course will cover key epidemiological concepts, study designs, measures of association, and the critical evaluation of epidemiological research.

### **Learning Objectives:**

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand and apply basic epidemiological terms and concepts.
2. Identify and describe various epidemiological study designs, including cohort, case-control, and randomized controlled trials.
3. Calculate and interpret measures of disease frequency and association, such as incidence, prevalence, relative risk, and odds ratios.
4. Assess the validity and reliability of epidemiological data.
5. Recognize and adjust for potential biases and confounding factors in epidemiological studies.
6. Conduct basic data analysis and interpret results within the context of public health.
7. Critically evaluate public health surveillance data and understand its role in disease prevention and control.
8. Understand the impact of public health interventions and their evaluation in epidemiological research.

### **Course Components:**

1. **Epidemiological Concepts and Measures:**
    - Definition and scope of epidemiology.
    - Measures of disease frequency: incidence, prevalence.
    - Measures of association: relative risk, odds ratio, attributable risk.
2. **Study Designs:**
    - Descriptive studies: case reports, case series, cross-sectional studies.
    - Analytical studies: cohort studies, case-control studies, randomized controlled trials.
    - Strengths and limitations of different study designs.
3. **Data Collection and Analysis:**
    - Methods of data collection: surveys, questionnaires, medical records.
    - Calculating and interpreting epidemiological measures.
    - Standardization techniques for comparing disease rates.
4. **Bias and Confounding:**
    - Types of bias: selection bias, information bias.
    - Methods to control confounding: randomization, matching, stratification, multivariate analysis.
5. **Public Health Surveillance:**
    - Principles and methods of public health surveillance.
    - Data collection, analysis, dissemination, and interpretation.
    - Application of surveillance data in public health practice.
6. **Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:**
    - Evaluation of public health interventions.
    - Impact of lifestyle factors on disease prevention.
    - Role of screening programs in disease control.
7. **Ethical and Practical Issues:**
    - Ethical considerations in epidemiological research.
    - Practical issues in conducting epidemiological studies in different settings.

### **Assessment Methods:**

- Multiple choice and multiple response questions.
- Calculation and interpretation of epidemiological measures.
- Critical analysis of epidemiological studies.
- Application of concepts through case studies and real-world examples.

### **Recommended Reading:**

- Gordis, L. (2014). **Epidemiology**. 5th Edition. Elsevier.
- Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2013). **Epidemiology for Public Health Practice**. 5th Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

### **Additional Resources:**

- Online databases for epidemiological data (e.g., CDC, WHO).
- Epidemiological software tools for data analysis (e.g., Epi Info, SPSS).