What is epidemiology?
Epidemiology is the branch of medical science that investigates all the factors that determine the presence or absence of diseases and disorders. Epidemiological research helps us to understand how many people have a disease or disorder, if those numbers are changing, and how the disorder affects our society and our economy. The epidemiology of human communication is a rewarding and challenging field. Much of the data that epidemiologists collect comes from self-report—from answers provided by people participating in a study. For instance, an epidemiological study may collect data on the number of people who answer, “Yes” when asked if someone in their household has trouble hearing. Each person providing such an answer may interpret “trouble hearing” differently. This means that the results of such a study may be quite different from a study in which actual hearing (audiometric) tests are administered to each person in a household.
Epidemiology is often called the science of public health. It is described as the study of the distribution and determinants of disease risk in human populations. Epidemiologists study a diverse range of health conditions as well as the impact that various exposures have on the manifestation of disease. See the American College of Epidemiology.
