Descriptive Epidemiology

Descriptive
Epidemiology and its

Procedures
Name- Anshika Verma
Roll no. – 16
Batch- MBBS 2020
Department of Community Medicine,
UPUMS, Saifai, Etawah
Content
• Descriptive Epidemiology
• Procedures in descriptive studies
• Characteristics examined in descriptive studies
• Time distribution
• Place distribution
• Person distribution
• Uses of descriptive Epidemiology
Descriptive Epidemiology
Descriptive studies are usually the first phase of an epidemiological
investigation. These studies are concerned with observing the
distribution of disease or health- related characteristics in human
populations and identifying the characteristics with which the disease
in question seems to be associated.
Procedures in descriptive
studies
1. Defining the population to be studied
2. Defining the disease under study
3. Describing the disease by time, place and person
4. Measurement of disease
5. Comparing with known indices
6. Formulation of an aetiological hypothesis
Describing the disease
The primary objective of descriptive Epidemiology is to describe the
occurrence and distribution of disease by time, place and person, and
identifying those characteristics associated with the presence or
absence of disease in individuals.
Time distribution
• The pattern of disease may be described by the time of its
occurrence, i.e., by week, month, year, the day of the week, hour of
onset, etc. Epidemiologists have identified three kinds of time trends
or fluctuations in disease occurrence .
1. Short-term fluctuations
2. Periodic fluctuations, and
3. Long-term or secular trends
Short-term fluctuations
The best known short-term fluctuation in the occurrence of disease is
an epidemic. According to modern concepts an epidemic is defined as
“the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness or other
health-related events clearing excess of normal expectancy”.
Types of epidemics
Three major types of epidemics may be distinguished.
1. Common source epidemics – The exposure to the disease is brief
and essentially simultaneous, the resultant cases all develop within
one incubation period of the disease.
a) Single exposure or point – source epidemics.
b) Continuous or multiple exposure epidemics.
2. Propagated epidemics- It is most often of infectious origin and

results from person to person transmission of an infectious agent.
a) Person to person
b) Arthropod vector
c) Animal reservoir
3. Slow (modern) epidemics
Period fluctuations
• Seasonal trend : Seasonal variation is a well known characteristic of
many communicable diseases, e.g., measles, varicella, upper
respiratory infections, malaria, etc.
• Cyclic trend : Some diseases occur in cycles spread over short periods
of time which may be days, weeks, months or years.
Long- term or secular trends

The term “ secular trend” implies changes in the occurrence of disease
(i.e., a progressive increase or decrease) over a long period of time,
generally several years or decades.
Place distribution
Studies of the geography of disease is one of the important dimensions
of descriptive epidemiology. By studying the distribution of disease in
different populations we gain perspective on the fascinating differences
in disease patterns not only between countries, but also within
countries. These variations may be classified as:
• International variations
• National variations
• Rural- urban variations
• Local distributions
Person distribution
In descriptive studies, the disease is further characterized by defining
the persons who develop the disease by age, sex, occupation, marital
status, habits, social class and other host factors.
These factors do not necessarily represent aetiological factors, but they
contribute a good deal to our understanding of the natural history of
disease.
Uses of descriptive
epidemiology
Descriptive studies:
• Provide data regarding the magnitude of the disease load and types
of disease problems in the community in terms of morbidity and
mortality rates and ratios.
• Provide clues to disease aetiology, and help in the formulation of an
aetiological hypothesis.
• Provide background data for planning, organizing and evaluating
preventive and curative services.
• They contribute to reseatby describing variations in disease
occurrence by time, place and person.
Bibliography
• Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine,
27th edition
Thank you

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Descriptive

Epidemiology and its

2. Propagated epidemics- It is most often of infectious origin and

Long- term or secular trends

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