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PHPS40010

Academic Year 2024/2025

Principles of Epidemiology (PHPS40010)

Subject:
Public Health & Population Sci
College:
Health & Agricultural Sciences
School:
Public Hlth, Phys & Sports Sci
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Mary Codd
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module introduces students to epidemiological concepts, principles and research methods primarily focussed on population-based studies, but fundamental to studies across a broad range of disciplines.

Topics to be covered include:
- a brief history of epidemiology through historical vignettes;
- populations (including vulnerable), demography, sources and compilation of demographic data; population pyramids;
- burden of disease and sources of data on health, disease and disability;
- occurrence of health and disease, measures of disease frequency, rates and trends;
- distribution of disease by person, place and time; comparison and standardisation of rates;
- determinants of disease, concepts of association and causation, establishing disease causation;
- measurement issues in epidemiological investigations, including:
- disease definitions, classifications and diagnostic criteria;
- subjective reporting; objective assessments; validity and reliability of measurement instruments;
- sources of bias, measurement error, confounding and chance in epidemiological investigations;
- observational study designs to include descriptive, ecological, qualitative, cohort and case-control studies;
- experimental study designs, specifically RCT's; CONSORT checklist;
- populations; sampling strategies, sample size estimation;
- estimation of risk/benefit from epidemiological studies, interpretation of estimates;
- critical appraisal of scientific evidence, introduction to systematic reviews and meta analysis;
- health research reporting guidelines, e.g. STRoBE, PRISMA, other;
- threshold concepts in epidemiology;
- communication of evidence and risks to lay audiences.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module the student will:
- have a strong sense of the history and development of epidemiology as a scientific discipline;
- be able to access and interpret demographic data from national and international sources;
- know how population pyramids are constructed, their applications and relevance;
- compile population data and burden of disease data for their own country;
- understand disease rates and be able to correctly compare rates across populations and over time;
- understand the concepts of association and causation;
- know and apply the Bradford-Hill criteria for causation to scientific studies;
- be able to determine an appropriate study design for a research question;
- know scientific and operational aspects of sampling, recruitment and follow up in epidemiological studies;
- define endpoints for scientific investigations using standard international criteria;
- assess the validity and reliability of measurement instruments, screening and diagnostic tests;
- determine bias, measurement error, confounding and chance in epidemiological studies;
- interpret estimates of risk and benefit and their confidence intervals from epidemiological studies;
- critically appraise scientific studies including methodology, interpret results and conclusions;
- apply relevant reporting guidelines such as STRoBE, CONSORT, PRISMA and others;
- interpret key concepts in epidemiology.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

80
Lectures

24
Small Group

12
Total

116

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, Class-based discussions
Active/task-based epidemiological exercises
Reviews and interpretation of published studies
Group work, preparation and delivery of group presentations

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Individual Project: Written assignment on country-specific demographic data and population pyramid. Selected statistics on country-specific burden of disease and disability and implications for healthcare services Week 1, Week 2 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
20
 Yes
Group Work Assignment: Group presentation on an assigned observational or experimental study Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
20
 Yes
Exam (In-person): Examination comprising computation and interpretation of epidemiologic data, critical appraisal of scientific abstracts, essay type answers on selected topics End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% Yes
60
 Yes

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on Weeks 1 & 2 assignments: Individual feedback Feedback on Group Presentation: Feedback to Group Feedback on EOT examination: On request, post release of results.

Name Role
Maly Ahmad Tutor
Parnian Jalili Tutor
Mr John Loughrey Tutor
Professor Akke Vellinga Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Tues 10:00 - 12:50
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