Foundations of Epidemiology is an introductory level text intended for a broad range of courses in epidemiology, including those in medical schools, schools of public health, dental schools, schools of nursing, and other professional schools. Minimal familiarity with statistics is assumed in the book, although the text is not intended as a primary introduction to statistics; an appendix provides the necessary overview of statistics necessary to understand epidemiologic concepts, including sampling, significance testing, confidence intervals, correlation and linear regression, relative risks and attributable fractions, the life table, and Cohen's Kappa statistic. Basic epidemiologic concepts, such as rates and ratios, age adjustment, incubation periods, investigation of an outbreak time-place-and-person, agent-value, inter- and intra-observer variability, odds ratios, randomised trials, and cohort and case-control study designs are illustrated using examples from a variety of conditions, including asthma, food poisoning, coronary heart disease, measles, stroke, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, venous thrombosis, histoplasmosis, lyme disease and AIDS.

PART I: INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY; 1. Laying the Foundations: The Epidemiologic Approach to Disease; 2. An Overview of the History of Epidemiology; 3. Selected Epidemiologic Concepts of Disease; PART II: DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES; 4. Mortality Statistics; 5. Mortality Studies; 6. Morbidity Statistics; 7. Morbidity Studies; PART III: EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES; 8. Experimental Epidemiology: I. Randomized Clinical Trials; 9. Experimental Epidemiology: II. Community Trials; 10. Observational Studies: I. Cohort Studies; 11. Observational Studies: II. Case-Control Studies; PART IV: USING EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA; 12. Deriving Biological Inferences from Epidemiologic Studies; 13. Epidemiology in Clinical Practice

David E. Lilienfeld, Emmes Corporation and Paul D. Stolley, University of Maryland School of Medicine

"The definitive introduction to epidemiology."--Dr. Cedric Garland, University of California at San Diego