Review of litterature - Term Paper Example

Perspective on Epidemiology and Comments Affiliation: Public health measures and policies are critical components of the society. They set up to ensure that the safety of the public is maintained under the public health umbrella. One of the most crucial variables in public health is epidemiology. Disease transmission and control are fully accounted for by epidemiology in the context of public health (Atwood, Colditz & Kawachi, 1997). However, the definition of epidemiology is broad, diverse, and dynamic relative to the various aspects in which epidemiology is applied.

For this reason, epidemiology has increasingly become a complex issue to handle, manage, and account for in the public health domain.Public health seeks to address health concerns for human populations. It addresses the collectivity of individual persons within a society to make up the entire society that is then referred to as the public. In this context, epidemiology deals with the prevention and control of disease for the benefit of the human population or the public for that matter (Savitz, Poole & Miller, 1999).

Essentially, this definition dictates the application of epidemiology in addressing public heath matter. This is to say, the scope of epidemiology in the public health context is limited to the cause and effect relationship of disease variables that pose health risks to the public.Epidemiology as process is integrated in research work to come up with up to date information about disease trends and prevalence in the public domain. In this line, epidemiology becomes a research technique that aids the process of addressing public health concerns.

It is important to point out that public health does not only deal with addressing existing and emerging public health issues, but also alleviating risk factors that are likely to result in public health issues (Kelsey, et al., 1996). In this respect, epidemiology guides the activities and practices of epidemiologists and other involved stakeholders.Epidemiology is also regarded as scientific field that generates knowledge bases that are significantly utilized in public health domains. The generated knowledge base is due for application in evaluating and analyzing epidemiologic evidence in a context within or without science.

Amid this, criticisms mount on epidemiology as scholars work to link epidemiology to an applied aspect of public health. However, the common denominator is that epidemiology has a substantial role to play in enhancing public health prospects.Research into epidemiology and all its influencing variables essentially lead to a conclusion that epidemiology is a functional practice within and without complex public health domains. Epidemiologists and public health workers play critical roles n relating epidemiologic variables.

Epidemiologic variables can be researched, hypothesized, tested, and subsequently used to make conclusive inferences on the progress of disease prevention and control (MacMahon & Trichopoulos, 1996). Disease transmission trends can also be monitored through epidemiologic concepts and processes to safeguard the interests of the public and all other stakeholders therein.ReferencesAtwood, K., Colditz, G. A. & Kawachi, I. (1997). From public health science to prevention policy: placing science in its social and political contexts.

Am J Public Health, 87:1603- 1606.Kelsey, J. L., at al. (1996). Methods in Observational Epidemiology. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.MacMahon, B. & Trichopoulos, D. (1996). Epidemiology: Principles and Methods. 2nd ed. Boston, Mass: Little Brown & Co Inc.Savitz, D., Poole, C. & Miller, W. (1999). “Reassessing the Role of Epidemiology in Public Health”. Commentaries, Vol. 89, No. 8.