Dictionary
The Dictionary provides concise definitions of health economics terms, arranged alphabetically for quick reference. Use it to understand unfamiliar terminology or confirm the meaning of a specific term.
A
- Analytic Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology testing specific hypotheses about disease causes by comparing exposed and unexposed groups to estimate measures of association.
C
- Cancer Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and patterns of cancer occurrence, including risk factors and prevention or screening strategies.
- Cardiovascular Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution and determinants of cardiovascular disease, including major modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, risk factors, and natural history of long-lasting, non-communicable conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Clinical Epidemiology
- A field applying epidemiological methods to clinical questions, such as diagnostic test accuracy, disease natural history, and treatment effectiveness in real-world populations.
- Confounding by Indication
- Confounding in pharmacoepidemiology arising when the reason for prescribing a treatment is itself linked to a patient's underlying risk of the outcome studied.
D
- Descriptive Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology characterising disease distribution by factors such as person, place, and time, without directly testing causal hypotheses.
E
- Environmental Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying how physical environment exposures, such as air pollution, affect human health outcomes within populations.
- Epidemiology
- The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states within specified populations, and applying that knowledge to control health problems.
F
- Field Epidemiology
- The application of epidemiological methods to investigate and respond to acute public health problems, such as outbreaks, in real time.
G
- Genetic Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the role of genetic factors, and their interaction with environmental factors, in disease occurrence.
I
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, transmission dynamics, and control of communicable diseases within populations.
- Injury Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and prevention of injuries, both unintentional, such as falls, and intentional, such as assault.
M
- Molecular Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology incorporating molecular and genetic biomarkers into the study of disease distribution and causation, allowing precise characterisation of disease subtypes.
N
- Nutrition Economics
- The application of health economic evaluation to dietary interventions and nutrition policy, drawing on nutritional epidemiology linking diet to disease risk.
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the relationship between dietary patterns and nutrient intake and the occurrence of disease within populations.
O
- Occupational Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the relationship between workplace exposures and health outcomes among working populations.
P
- Perinatal Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying health outcomes and their determinants during pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postnatal period.
- Pharmacoepidemiology
- A field combining pharmacology and epidemiology to study medication use, effectiveness, and safety within large populations, often using real-world observational data.
- Psychiatric Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and course of mental health conditions within populations.
R
- Reproductive Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying factors affecting human fertility, reproductive health, and reproductive outcomes within populations.
S
- Social Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying how social structures and conditions, such as income inequality, affect the distribution of health and disease.