Description
Determining the cause of a disease or the positive effect of a health activity is an important part of decision-making in public health. But how do we know if something actually does cause a disease or improve our health? Inferring causality is a step-by-step process requiring a variety of information. In this course, Dr. Victoria Holt discusses seven guidelines to use in determining whether a specific agent or activity causes a health outcome. She illustrates each guideline with a public health example. This is part of a nine-part series on epidemiology.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Describe and distinguish between association and causality in epidemiology
- List and describe features of associations that support inferences of causality
- List the principal concerns in inferring causality
Intended Audience
Public health professionals who want to increase their familiarity with the basic concepts of epidemiology. It is recommended that people are familiar with material presented in the following modules: What is Epidemiology in Public Health?, Study Types in Epidemiology, Measuring Risk in Epidemiology, and Data Interpretation for Public Health Professionals.
Epidemiology Series
What Is Epidemiology in Public Health?
Data Interpretation for Public Health Professionals
Basic Infectious Disease Concepts in Epidemiology
Introduction to Public Health Surveillance
Introduction to Outbreak Investigation
Measuring Risk in Epidemiology
Cause and Effect in Epidemiology
Screening in Public Health Practice
Format
Web-based, Flash presentation. This online course has audio narration and interactive exercises and scenarios. This course should take about 0.75 hours to complete.
Course Instructor
Victoria Holt, RN, MPH, PhD
Professor
Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
University of Washington School of Public Health
Technical Requirements
This course requires certain software and browser plugins to be installed. See our technical requirements.
Accessibility
This online training course is audio narrated. A print version is available in the Supplemental Material section at the bottom of this page. Please note that the print version does not include interactive exercises, quizzes, or the final assessment. To receive a print version of the quizzes in this module, or if you have any difficulties, please contact nwcphp@uw.edu.
