Descriptive Epidemiology
- Clarifies occurrence of
disease according to the
variables of person (who is
affected), place (where the
condition occurs), and time
(when and over what time
period the condition has
occurred.)
- Provides valuable
information of formation
for the prevention of
disease, design of
interventions, and conduct
additional of research
Descriptive Epidemiology Study
- Concerned with
characterizing the amount
of distribution of health and
disease within the
population.
- Focused in investigations
into a questions raised.
Aims of Descriptive Epidemiology
1.) permit evaluation of trends
in health and disease
2.) provide a basis for planning,
provision, and evaluation of
health services.
3.) Identify problems to be
studied by analytic methods
and suggest areas hat may
be fruitful for investigation.
3 Types of Descriptive
Epidemiology Studies
1.) Case report
- accounts of single
occurrence of a noteworthy
health – related incident or
small collection of such
events
2.) Case series
- larger collection of cases of
disease, often grouped
consecutively and listing
common features such as
the characteristics of
affected patients.
3.) Cross – sectional studies
- defined as one that examine
the relationship between
disease ( or other health
related characteristics) and
other variables of interest
as they exist in defined
 population at one particular
time.
- Is a type of prevalence
study in which exposures
and distribution of disease
are determined at the same
time, although it is not
imperative for the study to
include both exposure and
disease?
- Used to formulate
hypotheses that can be
followed up in analytic
studies.
 Analytic Epidemiology is
concerned with testing
hypothesis in order to
answer the questions Age
why and how. - Most important factor to
consider when one is describing
Examples of person the occurrence of virtually any
variables are: disease or illness because age
-Age specific disease rates usually show
-Sex greater variation than rates
-Race defined by almost any other
-Socioeconomic study personal attribute.
-Marital status
-Nativity Sex
-Migration - numerous epidemiologic
-Religion studies have sown sex
differences in a wide scope
of health phenomena,
including mortality and
morbidity.
Race
- it is ambiguous
characteristics that tend to
 overlap with nativity and
religion.
Nativity
-refers to the place of origin of
the individual or his or her
relatives.
Common subdivision of used
in epidemiology:
 foreign born
 native born
Major Categories of Race
 White, black or African
American
 American Indian
 Alaska Native
 Asian
 Native Hawaiian
The responses one elicits from
such a question may not be
consistent because:
 Individuals may change
ethnic or racial self-identity
or respond differently on
different occasions
 Depending their perception
of the intent of the race
question.
Socioeconomic Status
- it is a descriptive term for a
person’s position in society.
Three interrelated dimensions:
 Person’s income level
 Education level
 Type of occupation
 A Three-factor measure
would classify persons with
high SES as those at the
upper levels of income,
education and employment
status.
 The social class gradient is
a variability in SES from
high to low and vice versa
and it is strongly as
associated with levels of
morbidity and mortality.
Health Disparities
- Refers to differences in the
occurrence of disease and
adverse health conditions in
the population.
- An example is cancer health
disparities it defined as:
 Adverse differences
in cancer incidence
(new cases)
 Cancer death
(mortality)
 Cancer survivorship
 Burden of cancer or
related health
conditions
African Americans
- Have he highest age
adjusted over all cancer
incidence and death rates
 with four other racial
groups.
Examples of comparisons
according to place:
1.) International
2.) National
3.) Urban-rural
4.) Localized Patterns Disease
1.) International
 WHO
- which sponsors and
conducts ongoing
surveillance research
- Major source of information
about international
variations in rates of
disease.
 WHO Statistical Study
- Portray international
variations in infectious and
communicable diseases,
malnutrition, infant
mortality, suicide, and other
conditions.
Polio
- Viral infection that either is
asymptomatic or produces a
nonspecific fever in the
majority cases.
1% of cases
- Percentage of cases
produces a type of paralysis
known as flaccid paralysis.
2.) Urban – Rural
- Urban Disease and causes
of mortality are more likely
to be those spread by one
person to person contact,
crowding, and inner city
poverty or associated with
urban pollution.
Agriculture
- Major category of
employment for the
residents of rural areas.
3.) Localized Patterns of
Disease
- Associated with specific
environmental conditions that
may exist in a particular
geographic area.
Dengue Fever
- Viral disease transmitted by
a species of mosquito that is
present the border.
Time Variables
Examples:
1.) Secular Trends
2.) Cyclic Fluctuation
3.) Point Epidemics
4.) Clustering
1.) Secular Trends
- Refer to gradual changes in
the frequency of diseases
over long time periods.
Hypertension
- Risk factor for stroke,
cardiovascular disease,
kidney disease and other
adverse health outcomes.
2.) Cyclic Trends
- Increases and decreases in
the frequency of a disease
or other phenomenon over
a period of several years or
within a year.
3.) Point Epidemic
- Many indicate the response
of a group of people
circumscribed in place to a
common source of
infection, contamination, or
other etiologic factor to
which they were exposed
almost simultaneously.
Vibrio
- Bacterium that can affect the
intestines (producing enteric
disease) and can cause wound
infection.
Types of Vibrio
1) Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
- Can cause intestinal
disorder.
2) Vibrio Vulnificus
- Can cause wound infections
4.) Clustering
- Refers to a closely grouped
series of events or cases of
a disease or other health-
related phenomena with
well-defined distribution
patterns in relation to time
or place or both.
2 Types of clustering
 Spatial Clustering
- Indicates cases of disease
(often uncommon disease)
that occur in a specific
geographic region, a
common example being a
cancer cluster.
 Temporal Clustering
- Denotes health events that
are related in time, such as
the development of
maternal postpartum
depression a few days after
a mother gives birth.
Descriptive Epidemiology
- Clarifies occurrence of
disease according to the
variables of person, place
and time.
- Demonstrate which heath
outcome should be
prioritized for the design of
interventions.
Descriptive Epidemiology Studies
- It generates hypotheses
that can be explored by
 analytic epidemiologic
studies.

Behavioral Risk factor

Surveillance System (BRFSS)
- example of an ongoing cross
sectional study of health
characteristics of the population.