Lectures 21 and 22 and 23: Problems and Limits of Epidemiology

After this lecture, you should be able to answer the following:

1. It is not realistic to expect to succeed at a randomized, double-blind epidemiological study that requires people to alter their behavior over a significant amount of time. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

2. Why is "statistical significance" required in epidemiological studies?

3. What are "confounding" variables? Give an example.

4. What is "bias" in an epidemiological study? What are some examples of the different types of "bias." Explain these different types of "bias" using examples.

5. What is meant by the term "dose-response" relationship with respect to agents that cause disease? Provide an example of a dose-response relationship that demonstrated that radiation exposure can result in adverse health consequences.

6. What do we mean by "ethics in epidemiology?" To try to answer this using the example of the Alabama Syphilis Study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service from the 1930s-1970s.
In your answer, talk about things like the Norweigan Syphilis Study, salvarsan, penicillin, and painful spinal tap. In your opinion, was the Alabama Syphilis Study ethical? Why or why not? How might you have done the study differently?

7. What are IRBs? What kinds of power do these IRBs have with respect to clinical trials?

8. Please read the assigned homework material carefully and answer all the homework questions.