Table Of ContentTeaching Epidemiology
Teaching
Epidemiology
A guide for teachers
in epidemiology, public
health, and clinical
medicine
FOURTH EDITION
Edited by
Jørn Olsen
Naomi Greene
Rodolfo Saracci
Dimitrios Trichopoulos
1
1
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First edition published (edited by Jørn Olsen and Dimitrios Trichopoulos) 1992
Reprinted 1993
Second edition published (edited by Jørn Olsen, Rodolfo Saracci, and Dimitrios
Trichopoulos) 2001
Tird edition published (edited by Jørn Olsen, Rodolfo Saracci, and Dimitrios
Trichopoulos) 2010
Fourth edition published (edited by Jørn Olsen, Naomi Greene, Rodolfo Saracci,
and Dimitrios Trichopoulos) 2015
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Preface
Teaching epidemiology requires teaching skills and knowledge. Te overriding
requirement is knowledge of the subject matter. Te general advice is simple: if
you are not an expert on a topic, you should enrich your background know-
ledge before you start teaching. In this book we help you to locate the most
important sources of information you need to study before you start.
In addition, we provide expert teachers’ advice on how best to structure
teaching—what has worked in their hands. You should not, however, expect
that these guidelines will automatically work for you. You have to fnd your own
personal style and use examples of relevance for your audience. It is, neverthe-
less, always useful to make sure your teaching follows a predefned logical
sequence. Te book will help you to set up this structure.
Most experienced epidemiologists are able to write and present scientifc
fndings by complying with the established rules for scientifc writing. Teaching
is diferent because you also have to establish personal contact. Without per-
sonal contact, teaching may well be replaced by reading or web-based courses.
Personal contact requires that the teacher wants to teach and that the students
are willing to learn, or at least to give it a try. Evaluation of your success as a
teacher includes assessment of your knowledge and experience as well as how
the teaching was received. Any serious evaluation takes both aspects into
consideration.
Epidemiology is an old discipline but its concepts and principles are evolving
rapidly and, for that reason, a book like this needs frequent updating. Teachers
have diferent ideas as to what the level of sophistication in methods should be
and where to focus the attention of the students. We have not sought consensus
when inviting the authors to contribute. Science is not driven by consensus but
rather by diversity.
We advise you to read and make your own judgements and develop your pre-
ferred trajectory. But frst, see what older and more experienced colleagues have
to ofer. Ten—but only then—you can throw it away.
Tis book is a fourth edition of Teaching Epidemiology, frst published in
1992. Te content has changed substantially since the second version (2007).
Te frst edition was published by Oxford University Press and the Commission
of the European Communities. Later versions are published by Oxford Univer-
sity Press in collaboration with the International Epidemiological Association
vi PREFACE
and the European Educational Programme in Epidemiology. Te second edi-
tion of the book was awarded ‘Highly Commended in the Basis of Medicine
Category’ at the 2002 BMA Medical Book Awards in London.
We would like to thank all authors who agreed to share their experience and
knowledge with their less experienced colleagues. Without their contributions
there would not have been any book. We also thank Pernille Kümpel and Rikke
Sinding for their important administrative support and technical skills.
Jørn Olsen
Naomi Greene
Rodolfo Saracci
Dimitrios Trichopoulos
Acknowledgements
Dimitrios Trichopoulos died 1 December 2014 at 75 years of age. We thank him
for his valuable contribution to this book over the years and for his generosity
as a teacher, scientist, and friend.
Contents
Contributors xi
Part 1 Context
1 Introducing the history of epidemiology 3
Rodolfo Saracci
2 Important concepts in epidemiology 30
Olli S. Miettinen
3 Study design 37
Jørn Olsen and Olga Basso
4 Statistics in epidemiology 56
Per Kragh Andersen
5 Teaching a frst course in epidemiologic principles and methods 67
Kenneth J. Rothman and Sherri O. Stuver
Part 2 Exposure-oriented epidemiology
6 Questionnaires in epidemiology 85
Jakob Bue Bjørner
7 Environment 98
Anders Ahlbom
8 Occupational epidemiology 105
Neil Pearce
9 Life course epidemiology 120
Yoav Ben-Shlomo and Diana Kuh
10 Pharmacoepidemiology 138
Susan Jick
11 Nutritional epidemiology 157
Walter C. Willett
12 Genetic epidemiology 177
Harry Campbell and Susan Service
13 Teaching molecular epidemiology 206
Betsy Foxman
14 Social inequalities in health 221
Nancy Krieger
