HCS 457 Week 2 DQ's
What is epidemiology? Why is this important to community health? Provide an example of its importance from your community.
According to "An Encyclopedia Britannica Company: Merriam-Webster Dictionary" (2013), "Epidemiology is a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population." It is also considered "the sum of the factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen." Epidemiology is important to community health because it studies diseases within populations and communities, and allows us the opportunity to take proper steps to control them. As the text states there are a number of ways epidemiology affects communities, for example, studying the rates of cancers such as lung cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer. Age is a huge factor, as it allows us to determine at what age certain diseases and illnesses occur or reappear. Certain cancers, illnesses, and diseases also affect different populations, so it is important to determine the population affected before studies can come into play. Perfect example, as stated in the text, is that cervical cancer only pertains to women, while prostate cancer only affects men. But lung cancer can affect both genders, and a variety of ages. (Riegelman, 2010) Any type of epidemic, from a flu, to a typical cold virus can also be determined and monitored through epidemiology. An epidemic is specific to one city, region or country, and an epidemic occurs when the number of people who become infected rises well beyond what is expected within a country or a part of a country. An example in my area right now is one of the common cold viruses that includes a sore, inflamed throat accompanied by a fever. Now that school is back in full swing, lots of germs are being shared and spread. My son, who is only 11 months old, caught it unfortunately. It could have come from anywhere, so it's hard to pinpoint. It merely has to run its course, but we are lucky
According to "An Encyclopedia Britannica Company: Merriam-Webster Dictionary" (2013), "Epidemiology is a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population." It is also considered "the sum of the factors controlling the presence or absence of a disease or pathogen." Epidemiology is important to community health because it studies diseases within populations and communities, and allows us the opportunity to take proper steps to control them. As the text states there are a number of ways epidemiology affects communities, for example, studying the rates of cancers such as lung cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer. Age is a huge factor, as it allows us to determine at what age certain diseases and illnesses occur or reappear. Certain cancers, illnesses, and diseases also affect different populations, so it is important to determine the population affected before studies can come into play. Perfect example, as stated in the text, is that cervical cancer only pertains to women, while prostate cancer only affects men. But lung cancer can affect both genders, and a variety of ages. (Riegelman, 2010) Any type of epidemic, from a flu, to a typical cold virus can also be determined and monitored through epidemiology. An epidemic is specific to one city, region or country, and an epidemic occurs when the number of people who become infected rises well beyond what is expected within a country or a part of a country. An example in my area right now is one of the common cold viruses that includes a sore, inflamed throat accompanied by a fever. Now that school is back in full swing, lots of germs are being shared and spread. My son, who is only 11 months old, caught it unfortunately. It could have come from anywhere, so it's hard to pinpoint. It merely has to run its course, but we are lucky