AN INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY

The first essential concepts that students of health and illness need to understand are disease and illness. To researchers and clinicians working with physical health problems, disease refers to biological problems within organisms. In contrast, illness refers to the social experience and consequences of living with a disease. Using these terms, we might say that a man who is infected with the poliomyelitis virus must adapt to physical disability caused by the disease called polio and to changes in how others view him because he has the illness called polio.

The study of the distribution of disease within a population is known as epidemiology. This chapter and the next focus more specifically on social epide- miology, or how social behaviors and factors (such as social class or use of tobacco) affect the distribution of disease within a population. For example, whereas biolo- gists might investigate whether heart disease is more common among those with high cholesterol levels, social epidemiologists might investigate whether it is more common among those with high incomes.

But what do we mean when we say a disease is “more common” among one group than another? Data on infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that in its later stages causes acquired immunodefi- ciency syndrome (AIDS), provide a useful example. (This book uses the term HIV/AIDS to refer to the full range of illness from the earliest stages of infection with HIV to full-blown AIDS.)

As of 2014 (the latest data available as of 2018), more than twice as many Bra- zilians have HIV/AIDS as do Botswanans. At first glance, this might suggest that HIV/AIDS is a much greater problem in Brazil than in Botswana. However, Brazil’s population is much larger than that of Botswana. To take this difference into account, epidemiologists typically look at the rate rather than the number of HIV/AIDS cases in a population. Rate refers to the proportion of a specified population that experiences a given circumstance. For example, to learn the rate of a HIV/AIDS in Brazil, we would divide the number of people in Brazil who have the disease into the total number of people in the country. In 2013, the rate of HIV/AIDS among adults was 3 per 1000 adults in Brazil compared with 234 per 1000 adults in Botswana.

Academic Heros
Calculate your paper price
Pages (550 words)
Approximate price: -

Why Work with Us

Top Quality and Well-Researched Papers

Our writers are encouraged to read and research widely to have rich information before writing clients’ papers. Therefore, be it high school or PhD level paper, it will always be a well-researched work handled by experts.

Professional and Experienced Academic Writers

For one to become part of our team, thorough interview and vetting is undertaken to make sure their academic level and experience are beyond reproach, hence enabling us give our clients top quality work.

Free Unlimited Revisions

Once you have received your paper and feel that some issues have been missed, just request for revision and it will be done. In addition, you can present your work to the tutor and he/she asks for improvement/changes, we are always ready to assist.

Prompt Delivery and 100% Money-Back-Guarantee

All our papers are sent to the clients before the deadline to allow them time to review the work before presenting to the tutor. If for some reason we feel our writers cannot meet the deadline, we will contact you to ask for more time. If this is not possible, then the paid amount will be refunded.

Original & Confidential

Our writers have been trained to ensure work produced is free of plagiarism. Software to check originality are also applied. Our clients’ information is highly guarded from third parties to ensure confidentiality is maintained.

24/7 Customer Support

Our support team is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can reach the team via live chat, email or phone call. You can always get in touch whenever you need any assistance.

Try it now!

Calculate the price of your order

Total price:
$0.00

How it works?

Follow these simple steps to get your paper done

Place your order

Fill in the order form and provide all details of your assignment.

Proceed with the payment

Choose the payment system that suits you most.

Receive the final file

Once your paper is ready, we will email it to you.

Our Services

You have had a hectic day, and still need to complete your assignment, yet it is late at night. No need to panic. Place your order with us, retire to bed, and once you wake up, the paper will be ready.

Essays

Essay Writing Service

It does not matter the urgency of your paper, or the academic level, our team is ready to help you 24/7. Just contact us and all your academic needs will be sorted.

Admissions

Admission Essays & Business Writing Help

A student is often required to write an admission letter requesting to be admitted in a certain institution. For you to be gain that admission in your dream institution, you must write a convincing letter. You can depend on our team for the best admission letters.

Reviews

Editing Support

Academic writing is not just about getting information and throwing it all over. Our team will ensure you have a polished paper that is coherent and has a good flow of information. We also ensure the paper follows the correct formatting styles like APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago/Turabian.

Reviews

Revision Support

If our writers write a paper but you are not satisfied in one way or another, you can always ask for revision. This is totally free. Our writers and editors will revise your paper untill you are be totally satisfied. We as well offer revision for papers not done by our writers at a small fee.