At the end of this section, you will be able to:

‹ Define epidemiology

‹ Describe the use of epidemiology in nursing practice

Epidemiologic Designs: Using Data

to Understand Populations

Amy C. Cory

8.1 Epidemiology and Nursing

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations. Distribution
describes the pattern of disease occurrence in and among populations or subgroups. Determinants are
factors that are “capable of bringing a change in health” (Friis & Sellers, 2009, p. 6). Determinants can be
preventative or causal. For example, immunizations are a method of preventing disease in populations,
while H1N1 is an infectious agent that causes influenza. Epidemiology is based on two fundamental assump-
tions: (1) disease does not occur at random, and (2) the determinants of disease can be identified through
systematic investigation of populations or subgroups within populations (Hennekens & Buring, 1987).

The word epidemiology is derived from the Latin prefix of epi meaning “upon,” the root demos, mean-
ing “the people,” and the suffix logos, meaning “the study of.” Although epidemiology dates back to Hip-
pocrates, the father of medicine, John Snow is considered the modern father of epidemiology as a result
of his investigations into the 1854 cholera epidemic in London.

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CHAPTER 8