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Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines social determinants of health as "life-enhancing resources. In the realm of public health, the concept of social determinants of health (SDOH) has emerged as a crucial framework for comprehending the myriad factors that influence an individual’s well-being.
Although health research is often organized by disease categories or organ systems, theoretical development in social epidemiology is typically organized around factors that influence health (i.e., health determinants rather than health outcomes). Many social factors are thought to be relevant for a wide range of health domains.
In epidemiology, a risk factor or determinant is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. [1]: 38 Due to a lack of harmonization across disciplines, determinant, in its more widely accepted scientific meaning, is often used as a synonym.
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". [1] [2] Analyzing the determinants of health of a population and the threats it faces is the basis for public health. [3]
These are "health outcomes, patterns of health determinants, and policies and interventions". [1] A priority considered important in achieving the aim of population health is to reduce health inequities or disparities among different population groups due to, among other factors, the social determinants of health (SDOH).
Epidemiological (and other observational) studies typically highlight associations between exposures and outcomes, rather than causation. While some consider this a limitation of observational research, epidemiological models of causation (e.g. Bradford Hill criteria) [7] contend that an entire body of evidence is needed before determining if an association is truly causal. [8]
Social factors in epidemiology were largely ignored until Doyal, Navarro, and others proposed the theories of SPD and Political Economy of Health in the 1970s, [4] and Krieger later integrated these theories into her writings on Ecosocial Theory (1994, 2011). As described by Doyal, SPD consists of the following key constructs: (1) The ...