- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Biography
- Chapter 1 Scope of epidemiological enquiry and overview of main problem areas
- Chapter 2 Which measure of disease occurrence?
- Chapter 3 Comparing rates between and within populations
- Chapter 4 Studies of disease occurrence
- Chapter 5 Studies of disease occurrence
- Chapter 6 Which type of epidemiological study?
- Chapter 7 Quantifying the association between exposures and diseases
- Chapter 8 Studies of disease causation
- Chapter 9 Use of secondary data
- Chapter 10 Collecting information
- Chapter 11 Obtaining valid information
- Chapter 12 Repeatability
- Chapter 13 Participation in epidemiology studies
- Chapter 14 Feasibility and pilot studies
- Chapter 15 Preparation of collected primary data for statistical analysis
- Chapter 16 Introductory data analysis
- Chapter 17 Introductory data analysis
- Chapter 18 Confounding
- Chapter 19 Bias
- Chapter 20 Association or causation
- Chapter 21 Reviews of evidence
- Chapter 22 Meta-analysis
- Chapter 23 Ethical issues in epidemiology
- Chapter 24 The costs of an epidemiological study
- Index
(p. 63) Quantifying the association between exposures and diseases: Which measure?
- Chapter:
- (p. 63) Quantifying the association between exposures and diseases: Which measure?
- Author(s):
Alan J. Silman
, Gary J. Macfarlane
, and Tatiana Macfarlane
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780198814726.003.0007
Having conducted a specific study design, the task is then to use the information collected to provide an effect measure which quantifies the magnitude of the association between the exposure(s) of interest and the disease under study. Epidemiological studies, and in particular their subsequent analysis, are therefore aimed at quantifying the level of increased risk when exposed to a particular factor, as this chapter explains. The effect measure which can be obtained to quantify the strength of the association, varies according to the type of study conducted. Just because there is a relationship between exposure and disease (even a strong one) does not mean that the relationship is causal.
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- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Biography
- Chapter 1 Scope of epidemiological enquiry and overview of main problem areas
- Chapter 2 Which measure of disease occurrence?
- Chapter 3 Comparing rates between and within populations
- Chapter 4 Studies of disease occurrence
- Chapter 5 Studies of disease occurrence
- Chapter 6 Which type of epidemiological study?
- Chapter 7 Quantifying the association between exposures and diseases
- Chapter 8 Studies of disease causation
- Chapter 9 Use of secondary data
- Chapter 10 Collecting information
- Chapter 11 Obtaining valid information
- Chapter 12 Repeatability
- Chapter 13 Participation in epidemiology studies
- Chapter 14 Feasibility and pilot studies
- Chapter 15 Preparation of collected primary data for statistical analysis
- Chapter 16 Introductory data analysis
- Chapter 17 Introductory data analysis
- Chapter 18 Confounding
- Chapter 19 Bias
- Chapter 20 Association or causation
- Chapter 21 Reviews of evidence
- Chapter 22 Meta-analysis
- Chapter 23 Ethical issues in epidemiology
- Chapter 24 The costs of an epidemiological study
- Index