Getting Started
Descriptive studies in epidemiology focus on the patterns of disease occurrence with respect to person, place, and time. Examples of descriptive studies are case reports, case series, and cross-sectional studies. By describing what, who, where, when, and why of a health issue of concern, clues can be discovered to the causes of health and illness.
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
- Explain person, place, and time in relation to descriptive statistics.
- Distinguish the difference between a case report, a case series, and a cross-sectional study.
Instructions
- Review the rubric to ensure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
- Read from your textbook Chapter 6.
- Review the Chapter 6 PowerPoint(PowerPoint presentation) file.
- Write an initial response to the following prompts:
- Describe the variables person, place, and time with respect to descriptive epidemiology and give an example for each.
- Search OCLS for an example of either a case report, case series, or cross-sectional study on a disease that is of interest to you.
- Summarize the aim of the study, the variables, and the major findings.
- What statistics were used in the study?
- Post a link to your article.
- Support your initial discussion post with references that are relevant, scholarly, peer-reviewed sources, or authoritative professional organizations. You can utilize IWU Online Campus Library Services(new tab) to help locate these sources.
- Use APA Style(new tab) for all citations and references.