Epidemiology
- Health Sciences
- 800 level
- 2 credit units
- 250 pages
- 25 units
This course provides a detailed understanding of the principles of epidemiology, a crucial branch of public health. It covers disease causation models, measures of association, bias, confounding, and standardization. Students will learn to design valid epidemiologic studies, interpret results, and apply demographic methods. The course also explores surveillance systems, outbreak investigations, and the role of integrated disease response in pandemic preparedness.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 156 hours
- Maths
- Intermediate
- Content
- Theoretical, case study, problem solving
- Practical work
- No
- Assignments
- Tutor Marked Assessments
- Final Examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of PHS803, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
- UNIT 1 BIAS IN PRINCIPLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGYPage 38
- MODULE 2Page 47
- UNIT 2 CONFOUNDING AND EFFECT MEASURE MODIFICATIONPage 63
- MODULE 2Page 67
- MODULE 2Page 69
- MODULE 2: Method Favoured by BiostatisticiansPage 71
- MODULE 2Page 77
- MODULE 2Page 79
- MODULE 2Page 83
- UNIT 3 MEASURE OF STANDARDISATION IN EPIDEMIOLOGYPage 90
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
PHS803 · UNIT 1 PRINCIPLE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY ON DISEASE CAUSATION
Module 6 focuses on basic demographic methods in population studies. Unit one discusses population census, vital statistics and morbidity indicators. Unit two explains basic measures of fertility and mortality. Unit three is centred on standardisation of rates and further distinguish between direct and indirect standardisation.
What you should be able to do
- Explain the principles of epidemiology and disease causation.
- Calculate and interpret measures of association and risk.
- Identify and control bias and confounding in epidemiologic studies.
- Design valid and efficient epidemiologic studies.
- Interpret epidemiologic results and develop hypotheses.
- Apply demographic methods to population studies.
- Describe surveillance systems and outbreak investigations.
What it prepares you for
- Epidemiologist
- Public Health Officer
- Data Analyst
- Research Scientist
- Health Consultant
- Healthcare
- Public Health
- Research
- Pharmaceuticals
- Government
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- Module 2: Systemic Error (Bias), Confounding and Standardisation
Unit 1: Bias in Principles of Epidemiology
Understanding the nuances of differential vs. non-differential misclassification requires careful attention to detail and potential sources of error.
- Module 2: Systemic Error (Bias), Confounding and Standardisation
Unit 2: Confounding in Principles of Epidemiology
The conditions necessary for confounding and the methods to control it in study design and analysis demand a strong grasp of statistical principles.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 19.5 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1Module 1: Basic Principles and Methods of Epidemiology
Unit 1: Principle of Epidemiology on Disease Causation · 1.5 hours
Define epidemiology and its fundamental assumptions.. Explain the epidemiologic triad model and Rothman's causal pies.. Discuss the importance of epidemiology in public health..
- Week 2Module 1: Basic Principles and Methods of Epidemiology
Unit 2: Disease Measures and The Epidemiologic Approach · 1.5 hours
Define case definition and its components.. Explain COVID-19 case definitions and criteria.. Discuss the usefulness of counts and rates in epidemiology..
- Week 3Module 1: Basic Principles and Methods of Epidemiology
Unit 3: Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in Nigeria · 1.5 hours
Explain surveillance systems in Nigeria and IDSR.. Describe how IDSR contributes to COVID-19 pandemic preparedness.. Discuss the roles of different levels in surveillance and response..
- Week 4Module 2: Systemic Error (Bias), Confounding and Standardisation
Unit 1: Bias in Principle of Epidemiology · 1.5 hours
Define bias and its types in epidemiology.. Discuss selection bias in case-control and cohort studies.. Describe self-control and differential surveillance in selection bias..
- Week 5Module 2: Systemic Error (Bias), Confounding and Standardisation
Unit 2: Confounding in Principle of Epidemiology · 1.5 hours
Explain confounding and its conditions.. Give a detailed account of magnitude and methods to determine confounding.. Identify residual confounding and reverse causality..
- Week 6Module 2: Systemic Error (Bias), Confounding and Standardisation
Unit 3: Measure of Standardisation in Epidemiology · 1.5 hours
Describe how to carry out direct and indirect standardization procedures.. Identify the underlying issues in the use of standardization.. Explain the role of descriptive studies for identifying problems and establishing hypotheses..
- Week 7Module 3: Valid and Efficient Epidemiologic Studies the Types, Strength & Limitation and Interpreting Results
Unit 1: Designing Valid and Efficient Epidemiologic Studies · 1.5 hours
Identify observational studies design in term of case series, cross sectional, cohort studies and ecological studies. Identify and explain experimental studies design. Explain the functions, issues and clinical significance of studies design.
- Week 8Module 3: Valid and Efficient Epidemiologic Studies the Types, Strength & Limitation and Interpreting Results
Unit 2: Strength and Limitation of Epidemiological Design · 1.5 hours
Describe rationale for selecting a study design. Discuss the strength and limitation of descriptive studies. Discuss the strength and limitation of analytical studies.
- Week 9Module 3: Valid and Efficient Epidemiologic Studies the Types, Strength & Limitation and Interpreting Results
Unit 3: Interpret Epidemiologic Results · 1.5 hours
Identify the different classes of variables. Distinguish when to use mean and standard deviation versus median and interquartile range (IQR) to characterise the center and variability for continuous variables data. Use R to compute mean, variance, standard deviation, median, and interquartile range (IQR)..
- Week 10Module 4: Observational Epidemiology
Unit 1: Descriptive Epidemiology · 1.5 hours
Discuss descriptive epidemiology with respect to person, place and time.. Computing the Correlation Coefficient. Carry out description and analysis of ecological studies.
- Week 11Module 4: Observational Epidemiology
Unit 2: Analytic Epidemiology I: Case Control Study · 1.5 hours
Analysing a cross sectional survey. Conduct calculation of correlation and linear regression using appropriate formula.. discuss the strength and limitation of analytical studies.
- Week 12Module 4: Observational Epidemiology
Unit 3: Analytic Epidemiology II: Cohort Study · 1.5 hours
Discuss the strength and limitation of analytical studies. conduct a narrative case series, present in an abstract format and put in an appropriate table for interpretation. Analysing a cross sectional survey.
- Week 13Module 6: Basic Demographic Methods
Unit 3: Investigation of Epidemics · 1.5 hours
Experimental Epidemiology. Screening in Epidemiology. Investigation of Disease Outbreaks.
Preparing for the exam
- Create detailed summaries of each module, focusing on key definitions and formulas.
- Practice calculating measures of association (RR, OR) using different datasets.
- Develop flowcharts to illustrate the steps in study design and outbreak investigation.
- Review examples of bias and confounding, and practice identifying them in research scenarios.
- Focus on understanding the differences between direct and indirect standardization.
- Use case studies to apply epidemiologic principles to real-world public health problems.
Questions students ask about this course
What is PHS803 about?
This course provides a detailed understanding of the principles of epidemiology, a crucial branch of public health. It covers disease causation models, measures of association, bias, confounding, and standardization. Students will learn to design valid epidemiologic studies, interpret results, and apply demographic methods. The course also explores surveillance systems, outbreak investigations, and the role of integrated disease response in pandemic preparedness.
How many units does PHS803 have?
PHS803, Epidemiology, has 25 units across 6 modules, over 250 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is PHS803?
PHS803 carries 2 credit units, at 800 level in Health Sciences.
Is PHS803 hard?
PHS803 is rated intermediate level, with intermediate mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, case study and problem solving work.
How long does PHS803 take to study?
About 156 hours of study, spread across its 25 units.
How is PHS803 assessed?
PHS803 is assessed by Assignments, Tutor Marked Assessments and Final Examination.
What can I do with PHS803?
Epidemiologist, Public Health Officer, Data Analyst, Research Scientist and Health Consultant.