- Preface to the fifth edition
- Introduction to Volume 1: The scope of public health
- Introduction to Volume 2: The methods of public health
- Introduction to Volume 3: The practice of public health
- List of contributors
- Section 1 The development of the discipline of public health
- Section 2 Determinants of health and disease
- Section 3 Public health policies
- Section 4 Public health law and ethics
- Section 5 Information systems and sources of intelligence
- Section 6 Epidemiological and biostatistical approaches
- 6.1 Epidemiology: The foundation of public health
- 6.2 Ecologic variables, ecologic studies, and multilevel studies in public health research
- 6.3 Cross-sectional studies
- 6.4 Principles of outbreak investigation
- 6.5 Case–control studies*
- 6.6 Cohort studis
- 6.7 Methodology of intervention trials in individuals
- 6.8 Methodological issues in the design and analysis of community intervention trials
- 6.9 Community-based intervention studies in high-income countries
- 6.10 Community-based intervention trials in low- and middle-income countries
- 6.11 Clinical epidemiology
- 6.12 Validity and bias in epidemiological research
- 6.13 Causation and causal inference
- 6.14 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- 6.15 Statistical methods
- 6.16 Mathematical models of transmission and control
- 6.17 Public health surveillance
- Section 7 Social science techniques
- Section 8 Environmental and occupational health sciences
- Section 9 Major health problems
- Section 10 Prevention and control of public health hazards
- Section 11 Public health needs of population groups
- Section 12 Public health functions
- Index
(p. 616) Causation and causal inference
- Chapter:
- (p. 616) Causation and causal inference
- Author(s):
Katherine J. Hoggatt
and Sander Greenland
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199218707.003.0038
This chapter offers an introduction to causal inference theory as relevant to public health research. Causal inference can be viewed as a prediction problem, addressing the question of what the likely outcome under one action vs. an alternative action is. Although asking these types of questions is very natural, answering them requires careful thought in both the statement of the causal hypothesis and the techniques used to attempt an answer. This chapter discusses these complexities, with further discussion in Chapter 6.12 (‘Validity and bias in epidemiological research’). More thorough coverage of these issues can be found in Chapters 2, 4, and 9 of Rothman et al. (2008).
The chapter reviews considerations that have been invoked in discussions of causality based on epidemiologic evidence. It then describes the potential-outcome (counterfactual) framework for cause and effect, showing how measures of effect and association are distinguished in that framework. The framework illustrates problems inherent in attempts to quantify the changes in health expected under different actions or interventions. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how research findings may be translated into policy.
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- Preface to the fifth edition
- Introduction to Volume 1: The scope of public health
- Introduction to Volume 2: The methods of public health
- Introduction to Volume 3: The practice of public health
- List of contributors
- Section 1 The development of the discipline of public health
- Section 2 Determinants of health and disease
- Section 3 Public health policies
- Section 4 Public health law and ethics
- Section 5 Information systems and sources of intelligence
- Section 6 Epidemiological and biostatistical approaches
- 6.1 Epidemiology: The foundation of public health
- 6.2 Ecologic variables, ecologic studies, and multilevel studies in public health research
- 6.3 Cross-sectional studies
- 6.4 Principles of outbreak investigation
- 6.5 Case–control studies*
- 6.6 Cohort studis
- 6.7 Methodology of intervention trials in individuals
- 6.8 Methodological issues in the design and analysis of community intervention trials
- 6.9 Community-based intervention studies in high-income countries
- 6.10 Community-based intervention trials in low- and middle-income countries
- 6.11 Clinical epidemiology
- 6.12 Validity and bias in epidemiological research
- 6.13 Causation and causal inference
- 6.14 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- 6.15 Statistical methods
- 6.16 Mathematical models of transmission and control
- 6.17 Public health surveillance
- Section 7 Social science techniques
- Section 8 Environmental and occupational health sciences
- Section 9 Major health problems
- Section 10 Prevention and control of public health hazards
- Section 11 Public health needs of population groups
- Section 12 Public health functions
- Index