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Basic Concepts

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Handbook of Epidemiology

Abstract

Epidemiology is the science that focuses on the occurrence of disease in its broadest sense, with the fundamental aim to understand and to control its causes. This chapter deals with the conceptual building blocks of epidemiology. First, we offer a model for causation, from which a variety of insights relevant to epidemiological understanding emerge. We then discuss the basis by which we attempt to infer that an identified factor is indeed a cause of disease; the guidelines lead us through a rapid review of modern scientific philosophy. The remainder of the chapter deals with epidemiological fundamentals of measurement, including the measurement of disease and the measurement of causal effects. More detailed discussion can be found in many textbooks; the present material follows the viewpoints, terminology, and development in Modern Epidemiology, 3rd edition (Rothman et al. 2008).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

    Authors
    1. Kenneth J. Rothman
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    2. Sander Greenland
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    Editor information

    Editors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Epidemiological Methods and Etiologic Research, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany

      Wolfgang Ahrens

    2. Department of Biometry and Data Management, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany

      Iris Pigeot

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    Rothman, K.J., Greenland, S. (2014). Basic Concepts. In: Ahrens, W., Pigeot, I. (eds) Handbook of Epidemiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09834-0_44

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09834-0_44

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