Measures Of Association
Measures of association is used in analytical epidemiology to identify the connection of being exposure and disease outcome. Included in the measures are relative risk, absolute risk reduction, attributable risk, and odds ratio. In your judgement, what are the relevancy/principles do these measures add to public health decision makers? Select one measure of association, and use it as an example. Your write-up should be at least 250 words with in-text citations and references
Sample Answer
Measures of association are crucial tools in analytical epidemiology, used to quantify the relationship between an exposure and a disease outcome. They provide valuable insights that inform public health decision-making.
Relative Risk (RR) is one of the most commonly used measures of association. It quantifies the likelihood of an outcome (disease) among exposed individuals compared to non-exposed individuals. An RR greater than 1 suggests that exposure is associated with an increased risk of the disease, while an RR less than 1 indicates a decreased risk. For instance, if a study finds that the RR for lung cancer among smokers compared to non-smokers is 2, it means that smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer.