Introduction to the principles and practice of epidemiology, including measuring disease frequency; study design and methods; dealing with error, linking exposures with outcomes and critical appraisal of published research.
In the first part of the paper, students will learn how they can identify patterns of health or disease in populations to address questions such as, 'Which groups of people are more likely to suffer poor health?' 'Is health improving over time?' 'Does health vary by place?' Students will learn about epidemiological study designs and methods and identify which types of important public health questions they can be used to investigate. Students will learn how to identify and assess potential error in epidemiological studies and how to measure the potential associations between exposures and disease. By the end of the paper students will be critically appraising published epidemiological studies and addressing questions such as, 'Does this study provide valid evidence about the cause of this disease in this population?'
| Paper title | Principles of Epidemiology |
|---|---|
| Paper code | PUBH711 |
| Subject | Public Health |
| EFTS | 0.1250 |
| Points | 15 points 15 points 15 points |
| Teaching period(s) | 1st Non standard period (20 April 2020 - 5 June 2020), 1st Non standard period (20 April 2020 - 5 June 2020), 1st Non standard period (20 April 2020 - 5 June 2020) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $1,428.75 |
| International Tuition Fees (NZD) | $5,181.50 |
- Restriction
- HASC 411, HASX 411, PUBH 701
- Limited to
- MA, MHealSc, MMLSc, MPH, MSc, DPH, PGDipArts, PGDipHealSc, PGDipMLSc, PGDipPHC, PGCertPH, PGCertPHC
- Notes
- (i) PGCertPHC and PGDipPHC students require approval from the Board of Studies in Primary Health Care to enrol for this paper. (ii) This paper runs for the second half of the first semester.
- Eligibility
- Students who have completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline or recognised equivalent.
- Contact
Wellington Campus: publichealth.uow@otago.ac.nz
Christchurch Campus: publichealth.uoc@otago.ac.nz
Dunedin Campus: postgrad.publichealthdunedin@otago.ac.nz- More information link
- View more information on postgraduate studies in Public Health
- Teaching staff
Wellington Campus: Dr Melissa McLeod and Dr Ruth Cunningham
Christchurch Campus: Dr Phil Hider
Dunedin Campus: Dr Simon Horsburgh (Overall Convenor)- Paper Structure
- Hidden patterns: Introducing epidemiology
- Telling stories: Describing epidemiology
- The time machine and other epidemiological studies
- Links in the chain: Measuring associations
- Tossing a coin: The role of chance
- Confounded! The problem of systematic error
- All that glitters is not gold: The role of bias
- Who sank the boat? Causality and critical appraisal
Assessment:
- In-class test - 35%
- In-class presentation - 10%
- Exam - 55%
- Teaching Arrangements
Tuesday morning sessions, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Friday morning sessions, 9:00 am - 11:00 am- Textbooks
- Essential Epidemiology. An Introduction for Students and Health Professionals (3rd Edition) by P Webb, C Bain and A Page. Cambridge University Press (2017).
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship,
Communication, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation,
Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- To summarise and interpret the descriptive epidemiology of a public health problem
- To explain and interpret core epidemiological concepts and to use them to critically appraise epidemiological studies
- To integrate epidemiological evidence from more than one source and examine the extent to which the evidence supports the existence of a causal association between an exposure (or intervention) and an outcome
