2025

Epidemiology I

Name: Epidemiology I
Code: MVT13049M
3 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours
Scientific Area: Health Sciences

Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Sustainable Development Goals

Learning Goals

Students should:
- to know the main scientific indicators that intervene in the metric of health / disease phenomena in populations
-comprehend the determinants of health / disease at the population level so that they can apply epidemiological principles to the sanitary evaluation and reason about the reality found, analysing the causes of differences found among populations.

Contents

Concept of epidemiology. Ecological concept of disease. The Agent-Environment and Host Interdependence.
Distribution and determinants of disease and health in populations. Incidence and prevalence.
Other measures used in epidemiology. Incidence Rates (Incidence Density)
Types of studies in epidemiology: Cases, Transversal, Case-control, Cohorts and Experimental studies.
Measures of association. Valorisation of risk.
Concept and criteria of causality. Perhaps bias and confusion
Sampling: Basic concepts.
Inquiries. Construction of a questionnaire.
Direct and indirect standardization. Interpretation of values resulting from standardization
The validity of a diagnostic method. Sensitivity and Specificity. Predictive values of the results of a diagnostic test.
Surveillance and monitoring. Prevention, control and eradication

Teaching Methods

Theoretical classes of concepts transmission followed by practical classes of application of the concepts acquired in the theoretical classes, as well as group work and case studies. The evaluation is essentially based on problem-solving and group-writing skills, a research work on a topic, where learning in bibliographic research and addresses of official entities are important.