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Article: Epidemiology
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Aging
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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EPIDEMIOLOGY
Epidemiology has been defined as "the study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations" (Hennekens and Buring). Based on the underlying tenet that disease does not occur at random, this definition provides a framework for the systematic investigation of health, disability, and illness in human populations. Thus, epidemiology has been identified as the science that forms the basis upon which public health decisions can be made.
In its relatively short history, the field of epidemiology has evolved to reflect the changing nature of the primary causes of morbidity (illness) and mortality (death). The term "epidemiology" was first used to ...