Handbook of Epidemiology

2489 Pages·2014·28.3 MB·English

by  Wolfgang Ahrens

Wolfgang Ahrens
Iris Pigeot
Editors
Handbook of
Epidemiology
Second Edition
1 3
Reference
Handbook of Epidemiology

Wolfgang Ahrens • Iris Pigeot
Editors
Handbook of
Epidemiology
Second Edition
With280Figuresand200Tables
Editors
WolfgangAhrens IrisPigeot
DepartmentofEpidemiologicalMethods DepartmentofBiometryandData
andEtiologicResearch Management
LeibnizInstituteforPreventionResearch LeibnizInstituteforPreventionResearch
andEpidemiology–BIPS andEpidemiology–BIPS
Bremen,Germany Bremen,Germany
ISBN978-0-387-09833-3 ISBN978-0-387-09834-0(eBook)
ISBNBundle978-0-387-09835-7(printandelectronicbundle)
DOI10.1007/978-0-387-09834-0
SpringerNewYorkHeidelbergDordrechtLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2013946541
1stedition:©Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2005
2ndedition:©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaNewYork2014
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Foreword to the Second Edition
Since2005,whenthefirsteditionoftheHandbookofEpidemiologywaspublished,
theEnglishversionofWikipediathatwaslaunchedin2001hasexpandedfromhalf
a millionarticlesand 1 gigabyteoftextto aboutfourmillion articlesand8GBof
text.A largenumberofarticlesdealwithscientificandtechnicaltopics,including
epidemiologyand biostatistics. Has a stage been attained when the laborioustask
of compiling and editing books, particularly of an encyclopedic character, should
be considered as not worth the effort, being outpaced by the swift mechanism of
writingandupdatingtextsonlinebyvolunteerauthors?
Probably that stage will never be reached as different media fulfill differ-
ent roles. Today there is room and need for handbooks occupying the territory
between textbooks, with specific contents, perspectives, and targeted readership
and all-encompassing encyclopedias of classical or “wiki” type in which the
authorshavefreedomofapproachprovidedtheykeepapresentationlevelallowing
accessibilitytoawidepublic.TheHandbookofEpidemiologyfelicitouslycombines
traitsofbothtypesofpublications:ithasthecoverageexpectedfromanup-to-date
textbook of epidemiology and shows a variety of approaches by the different
authors,whoallshareastyleofpresentationmakingeachchapterwellreadableby
epidemiologistsandepidemiologistsintraining.Morethanahundredscientifically
distinguishedauthorshavecontributedtothebookwhichbenefitsoftheircumulated
experience of at least five million person-hours of research and teaching. In this
secondedition,thetotalnumberofchaptershasbeensubstantiallyincreasedfrom
40 to 60. The sections of the book have been partly reorganized and their new
headings neatly indicate the comprehensive coverage of the book: Concepts and
DesignsinEpidemiology;MethodologicalApproachesinEpidemiology;Statistical
Methods in Epidemiology; Exposure-Oriented Epidemiology; Outcome-Oriented
Epidemiology. The handbook is both a reference and a tool for several daily
tasks:whenwritinga paperorreviewingarticlesandreportsithelpscheckingthe
appropriatenessandtheimplicationsofconceptsandwords,particularlyifusedina
non-standardway;whenteachingandlecturingitmayassistinpreparingnotesand
visualaids.Inadditiongoingthroughindividualchaptersmayprovideafreshlook
evenattopicsoneisalreadyfamiliarwith(orthinkstobeso).
v
vi ForewordtotheSecondEdition
As the name indicates, a handbook is designed to be “at hand,” on paper or
electronically:IwishmanyintheepidemiologicalcircleswillhavethisHandbook
ofEpidemiologyreadyathandfortheconsultationitfullydeserves.
Florence,Italy RodolfoSaracci
Foreword to the First Edition
When I was learning epidemiology nearly 50 years ago, there was barely one
suitabletextbookandahandfulofspecializedmonographstoguideme.Information
andideasinjournalswereprettysparsetoo.Thatallbegantochangeabout25years
agoandsoonwehadaplethoraofbookstoconsiderwhendecidingonsomething
torecommendtostudentsateverylevelfrombeginnerstoadvancedpostgraduates.
This one is different from all the others. There has never been a single source of
detailed descriptive accountsand informeddiscussions of all the essential aspects
of practical epidemiology, written by experts and intended as a desk reference
for mature epidemiologists who are in practice, probably already specializing in
aparticularfield,butinneedofcurrentinformationandideasabouteveryaspectof
thestateoftheartandscience.Withoutaworklikethis,itisdifficulttostayabreast
of the times. A comprehensive current overview like this where each chapter is
writtenbyacknowledgedexpertschosenfromarichinternationalpooloftalentand
expertisemakesthetaskconsiderablyeasier.
It had been a rare privilege to receive and read the chapters as they have been
written and sent to me through cyberspace. Each added to my enthusiasm for the
project.Iknowandhaveahighregardfortheauthorsofmanyofthechapters,and
readingthe chaptersbythose I didnotknowhasgivenmea highregardforthem
too.Thebookhasalogicalframeworkandstructure,proceedingfromsectionson
conceptsand methodsand statistical methodsto applicationsand fields of current
research.Ihavelearnedagreatdealfromallofit,andfurthermoreIhaveenjoyed
readingtheseaccounts.Iamconfidentthatmanyotherswilldosotoo.
JohnM.Last
EmeritusProfessorofEpidemiology
UniversityofOttawa,Canada
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Preface to the Second Edition
Theobjectiveofthishandbookistoprovideacomprehensiveoverviewofthefield
ofepidemiology,bridgingthegapbetweenstandardtextbooksofepidemiologyand
publications for specialists with a narrow focus on specific areas. The handbook
reviewsthemethodologicalapproaches,statisticalconcepts,andimportantsubject-
matter topicspertinentto the field for which the reader seeksa detailed overview.
Itthusservesbothasafirstorientationfortheinterestedreaderandastartingpoint
foranin-depthstudyofaspecificarea.
The handbook is intended as a reference source and a summarizing overview
for professionals involved in health research, health reporting, health promotion,
and health system administration. As a thorough guide through the major fields
of epidemiology, it also provides a comprehensive resource for public health
researchers, physicians, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, and executives in health
services.
The firsteditionofthishandbook,whichappearedin 2005,wassold outmuch
faster than expected. It had to be reprinted twice and received a subject index,
whichwas missing in the first print.At thattime we hadalready plannedto work
on a second, improved and expanded edition of the handbook, and we asked all
authors for suggestions of further relevant topics to be covered by the handbook.
The revision of the existing chapters started with an anonymous peer review of
each chapter by authors of other chapters. It turned out that authors reviewed the
chapters quite thoroughly making constructive suggestions for improvements and
clarificationsatthesametime.Thisledtoacarefulrevisionofeachchapter,several
ofwhichhaveundergonea fundamentalrenewalandupdate.We are verygrateful
to all authors for engaging in this fruitful process which helped to substantially
improve the second edition. The second edition now covers several new topics
in its 60 chapters, 20 more than the first edition, where topics are addressed that
are usually only marginally represented in the specific literature or in standard
textbooks, such as planning of epidemiologicalstudies, data management, ethical
aspects,practicalfieldwork,epidemiologyindevelopingcountries,qualitycontrol,
andgoodepidemiologicalpractice.
The content of the handbook is arranged according to a new structure. It now
containsfive majorpartsrangingfromconceptsanddesigns(PartI),methodolog-
ical approaches (Part II), statistical methods typically applied in epidemiological
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