Epidemiology Paper
Epidemiology Paper
Epidemiology Paper Many issues are at the forefront of public health, but prevention is still the topic most discussed by health professionals. This will always be the way to break the cycle of diseases and many other health-related problems. Using the epidemiology triangle and the basics of epidemiology teenage pregnancy will be examined. This issue is still the number one preventable problem in the United States because it is not a disease, it does not “accidentally” transmit to one person to the other, and it will continue to cause problems for the young parents. The definition of epidemiology is something that took a very long time and is often misunderstood. A CDC scientist found this to be true and also found that he too was perplexed about the true definition. He went to Emory University and was asking passer-by what they though epidemiology was. The medical student said “the worst taught course in medical school” the next person said “the science of making the obvious obscure” (CDC, 2004). The answers revealed that even people who should know what epidemiology was do not so the CDC made a web page specifically designed to make the definition less “obscure.” “A less entertaining, but more conventional, definition of epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states in specified populations, and the application of this study to control health problems” (CDC, 2004, para. 10). A more simple definition is obtained by looking at the difference between a health care provider and an epidemiologist. A health care provider looks at the individual who has a disease or problem and does tests to determine the best treatment and cause. The epidemiologist looks at the entire population to eventually intervene to end the health problem and prevent it from happening (CDC, 2004). This is where teenage pregnancy fits in with public health. The epidemiology triangle is a tool often
Epidemiology Paper Many issues are at the forefront of public health, but prevention is still the topic most discussed by health professionals. This will always be the way to break the cycle of diseases and many other health-related problems. Using the epidemiology triangle and the basics of epidemiology teenage pregnancy will be examined. This issue is still the number one preventable problem in the United States because it is not a disease, it does not “accidentally” transmit to one person to the other, and it will continue to cause problems for the young parents. The definition of epidemiology is something that took a very long time and is often misunderstood. A CDC scientist found this to be true and also found that he too was perplexed about the true definition. He went to Emory University and was asking passer-by what they though epidemiology was. The medical student said “the worst taught course in medical school” the next person said “the science of making the obvious obscure” (CDC, 2004). The answers revealed that even people who should know what epidemiology was do not so the CDC made a web page specifically designed to make the definition less “obscure.” “A less entertaining, but more conventional, definition of epidemiology is “the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states in specified populations, and the application of this study to control health problems” (CDC, 2004, para. 10). A more simple definition is obtained by looking at the difference between a health care provider and an epidemiologist. A health care provider looks at the individual who has a disease or problem and does tests to determine the best treatment and cause. The epidemiologist looks at the entire population to eventually intervene to end the health problem and prevent it from happening (CDC, 2004). This is where teenage pregnancy fits in with public health. The epidemiology triangle is a tool often
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