Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states in specific populations or groups of people. The application of epidemiologic principles to nutrition-related conditions and states, such as childhood obesity, is called nutritional epidemiology. This module will familiarize learners with the definition of epidemiology and the research methods used to study nutrition and other health-related diseases and conditions in populations. Learners will gain practice in reviewing and summarizing current research in the field of epidemiology as it relates to child health and nutritional status.
*Note: Go through the Course Overview information if you haven’t done so already. There will be a graded activity on this information.
Read the following information and thoroughly review the Required Resources (readings and media) BEFORE going through the Graded Activities. Please be aware of the due dates associated with this lesson. This lesson includes three parts, you can navigate between the parts using the tabs or the “Back to Parts” button. Be sure to go through the resources and activities in ALL parts of this lesson.
Part 1
What’s epidemiology and why do we use it?
Required Resources
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Principles of epidemiology in Public health practice: An introduction to applied epidemiology and biostatistics (3rd Edition)
Read sections: “Definition of Epidemiology,” “Core Epidemiologic Functions,” “The Epidemiologic Approach”
Part 3
Applying Epidemiology Knowledge to Child Health
Required Resources
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Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Third Edition CDC
Read section: “Analytic Epidemiology” (pages 1-46 to 1-55)