epidemiológica

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems. In Spanish and Portuguese, the feminine form epidemiológica is used to refer to epidemiological concepts or methods.

The field examines patterns by time, place, and person, seeking to explain why diseases occur where they do and who is affected. Methods include surveillance, data collection, and field investigations that identify risk factors and measure disease burden.

Descriptive epidemiology describes the distribution of diseases in terms of person, place, and time. Analytic epidemiology tests hypotheses about causal factors and uses study designs such as cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional investigations. Key measures include incidence, prevalence, mortality rates, and measures of association like relative risk and odds ratios.

Applications range from outbreak investigation and vaccination program evaluation to chronic disease prevention and health policy planning. Statistics and modeling quantify risk, project trends, and assess the impact of interventions.

The modern discipline emerged in public health during the 19th and 20th centuries, with early work by figures like John Snow and Florence Nightingale, and later institutional support from agencies such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Its interpretation must consider biases, confounding, data quality, and ethical issues regarding privacy and equity.