Epidemiology for Canadian Students, 2nd edition

The second edition of Epidemiology for Canadian Students introduces students to the principles and methods of epidemiology and critical appraisal, all grounded within a Canadian context. This context is crucial—epidemiologic research in Canada most often uses data from Canadian registries, Canadian special purpose cohorts, provincial health administrators, national statistical agencies and other sources that will be important to Canadian students during their careers.

Dr. Scott Patten draws on more than 20 years’ experience teaching epidemiology to present core concepts in a conversational tone and a pragmatic sequence. This second edition includes updated content and examples, double the number of study questions and answers, and new figures.

Topics include:

• Basic principles and why epidemiological reasoning matters for health professionals.
• Key parameters in descriptive and analytical epidemiology.
• Sources of error in epidemiology, and ways to quantify and control error.
• The concept of bias, which is introduced with basic parameter estimates to make it more accessible to students.
• Key study designs and their vulnerability to error.
• How to use critical appraisal and causal judgement to evaluate epidemiological studies.

Table of Contents

PART I: FIRST PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
1. What is epidemiology?
2. Epidemiological reasoning
PART II: FUNDAMENTAL DESCRIPTIVE PARAMETERS
3. Basic measures based on frequencies and rates
PART III: VULNERABILITY TO ERROR OF DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES
5. Random error from sampling
6. Measurement error that leads to misclassification
7. Misclassification bias in descriptive studies
8. Selection error and selection bias in descriptive studies
9. Confounding in descriptive studies
PART IV: STUDY DESIGNS AND THEIR VULNERABILITY TO ERROR
10. Cross-sectional studies
11. Case-control studies
12. Differential and nondifferential misclassification bias in analytical studies
13. Prospective cohort studies
14. Confounding and effect modification in analytical studies
15. Stratified analysis and regression modelling in analytical studies
16. Other study designs
17. Other measures of association
PART V: EVALUATING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES
18. Causal judgement in epidemiology
19. Steps in critical appraisal
Answers to questions
Glossary
Reference list
Index
About the author