This document provides an overview of how to conduct an epidemiological review to identify and understand a public health problem. It defines key epidemiological terms and explains how to perform assessments on disease distribution, factors that influence health outcomes, statistics, and other data sources. The epidemiological review process involves characterizing affected individuals, tracking disease trends over time and location, and examining social, behavioral, educational, and policy factors. The purpose is to understand the diverse environment surrounding a health issue and present compelling data to establish the issue's importance.

1. Epidemiological Review
Writing your literature review
Dr. Hayes
Learning
Objectives
• Introduction to the Epidemiological Review
• Define important terms
• Discuss the epidemiological assessment
• Discuss other assessments
• Explain statistics and vital statistics
• Identify data and information sources
• Discuss the presentation of assessment
• Establish the importance of your issue.
Epidemiological Review
•
Epidemiological review is the process of identifying and unders
tanding
your problem.
• Epidemiology is used to perform public health’s assessments.
•
Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease occurrence in h
uman

2. populations and the factors that influence the patterns.
•
Epidemiology review is important in Public Health Communicat
ions
because it consists of the data, statistics and facts that explain w
hat is
happening in the area of interest (i.e. Elderly long‐ term care, C
OVID‐ 19
testing, Dementia or health insurance).
•
Conducting such a review of the health environment is a part of
identifying
the broad problem(s) that need to be addressed.
Important
Epidemiological
Terms
• Disease or health outcome = what’s being studied
• Frequency = count of the number of cases; 2 types are
incidence & prevalence
• Incidence = the rate of new cases of a disease in a
defined population over a defined period of time (i.e.
information typically reported to your local state health
department)
• Prevalence = total number of cases existing in a defined
population at a specific time.
• A disease can have high incidence but low
prevalence, if people recover quickly.

3. • Distribution = comprised of answers to the who, when
and where the disease or health outcome is found
• Population at risk = who are those that are most affected
or face the greatest risk (i.e., lung cancer among lifelong
smokers)
• Rate = number of cases related to the size of the
population; raw numbers
Important
Epidemiological
Terms
• Death rates or mortality rates = incidence of
death due to the condition or outcome; used as
a measure of frequency for fatalities. Generally
expressed as number of deaths per 1,000
individuals.
• Determinants = factors impacting the disease
or outcome; such as one’s diet is increasing the
amount of sugar intake and increasing the risk
of onset diabetes.
• Life expectancy = the average number of years
of life remaining for a person of a particular
age.
• Premature mortality = is years of potential life
lost (YPLL).
• Human populations = the participants, subjects
and volunteers for studies.

4. Epidemiological Assessment
Importantly, in the writing you will establish what is the health
issue?
• Heart disease, HIV, COVID‐ 19, Diabetes, Obesity or more..
You will need to do this through an assessment that uses the ter
ms presented to
explain the epidemiological environment surrounding your publi
c health issue.
Next, you will want demonstrate your knowledge of the followi
ng:
WHO?
• Who ? = characterize the affected (disease, exposure,
treatment, service, etc.) individuals by such factors as
age, sex, race and economic status.
• For example, the incidences of cancer and heart disease
are greater in the elderly; Young people have a
mortality rate from measles that is two times higher
than other groups.
WHEN?
•

5. When? = involves the tracking of the disease and infectious out
break.
•
To address the “when”, must look for trends in disease frequenc
y
over time;
• Is the incidence increasing, decreasing or remaining stable?
•
An epidemic curve is often created to show the number of cases
appearances over a given span of time.
• The point of most of the exposure at the given time, point of
origination.
•
Failing to monitor or identify these trends can lead to a “Pande
mic”.
Where?
•
Where? = looks at the specific locations, countries, states, count
ies and other
geographical areas where the disease exists or originated.
• A term that you may have been hearing lately
•
HOTSPOTS (areas of the state in which the COVID‐ 19 disease
is increasing).
• i.e., Forrest and Hinds counties
•
The most people at a given time in the same location. Originatio
n point.

6. • Wuhan, China
Statistics
• Vital part of public health assessment
function
• Statistics is used to identify special risk
groups, to detect new health threats, to
plan public health program and evaluate
their success and prepare government
budgets.
• Raw material for research on
epidemiology, environmental health,
social and behavioral health and for the
health care system.
• National Center for Health Statistics,
federal agency responsible
Vital
Statistics
• Vital statistics such as births and deaths are the
most basic, reliable and complete data
collected.
• State and local health departments is
generally responsible for collecting these
reports and transmitting the to the National
Center for Health Statistics
• The Census is data collected through the vital
statistics system and converted for public
health purposes.

7. • Statistical data can be acquired through
primary (you collect the numbers yourself) or
secondary (analyze data from credible and
trusted sources that are available.
Other Types of Assessments
•
Social = a wide variety of cultural traditions, health beliefs, and
practices play a vital part
of how important a health issue becomes and how it will be com
municated appropriately.
•
Behavioral = characteristics and causes of actions and motives.
Do actions suggest a
willingness to adhere or support the health issue.
•
E.g., examining cults that practice female cutting or individuals
that chew tobacco
• Inherent
•
Educational = knowledge, attitudes, normative perceptions of an
issue as well as the level
of formalized schooling. What type of information has been shar
ed.
• Learned
•
Administrative/Policy = examining the current laws and mandat
es regarding your issue.
Identifying the individuals who champion or fight the issue.

8. Finding the
Literature
• Reliable data can significantly improve your
assessments and help to validate the
importance of your health issue.
• Should read extensively on the problem area
that you have selected.
• Immerse yourself in the current findings.
• Look at academic journals (research articles).
• Reference credible sources such as the
CDC.gov or the USDHHS.gov, and other
trusted reports.
• Identify source for research, evidence‐ based
information on a public health issue, e.g.
Pubmed.gov or Google Scholar
The Purpose of the Public Advocacy Plan
• The purpose of the public advocacy plan is to…
•
Increase the number of senior care long‐ term facilities reimbur
sements
under Medicare.
•
Increase screening for COVID‐ 19 among young people in the j
ustice system.
•
The purpose needs to be clear about what you plan to accomplis
h.

9. •
No one health issue or cause is more important than the next; un
less, you
make the case for its importance. Do so with your statistics and
data and
thorough representation of what the current environment is like
pertaining
to your issue.
•
This is completed through a brief to comprehensive assessment
of the
epidemiological, social, behavioral, and administrative/policy a
ssessments.
Summary
•
Epidemiological review is the process of understanding the dive
rse environment
influence a particular health issue.
•
Epidemiology review is important in Public Health Communicat
ions because it
consists of the data, statistics and facts that explain what is hap
pening in the area
of interest (i.e. Elderly long‐ term care, COVID‐ 19 testing, De
mentia or health
insurance).
•
Many terms are important and provide a view of the current dise
ase or health

10. state.
•
The summarization of the facts, data and statistics to address wh
o, when and
where the disease is occurring should establish the importance a
nd significance of
the health issue.
Assignment 2 –
Epidemiological
Literature
Review
Epidemiological Literature Review/Research
(100 pts.)
• For this assignment, you must identify a public
health issue to tackle or address. You will be
required to research the current and relevant data
and statistics about your selected public health
problem or issue.
• Ask yourself what would you like to improve.
• The review will be two pages maximum. Reference
and in paper citations should be formatted in APA
style.
• You are encouraged to review published journal
articles to identify components of a proper literature
review/introduction for your public health advocacy
plan. This EPI Review serves as an introduction to
the health problem that you will address.

11. References
Edberg, M. and Riegelman, R. (2015). Essentials of Health Beha
vior, Social
and Behavioral Theory in Public Health. 2nd
edition. Jones and Bartlett
Learning. Burlington, MA.
Patten, M.L. (2010). Proposing Empirical Research: A Guide to
the
Fundamentals. 4th edition. Pyrczak Publishing. California.
Schneider, M.J. (2014). Introduction to Public Health. 4th
edition. Jones &
Barlett Learning. Burlington, MA.
Questions?
[email protected]