Home›Branches›EpidemiologyBranchesEpidemiologyep-ih-dee-mee-OL-uh-jeePopulation Health FieldCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextHealth and Wellness Atlas. "Epidemiology." Accessed August 29, 2026. https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/branches/epidemiology.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextHealth and Wellness Atlas. (n.d.). Epidemiology. Retrieved August 29, 2026, from https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/branches/epidemiologyCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{healthandwellnessatlas-epidemiology, author = {Health and Wellness Atlas}, title = {Epidemiology}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-health.interactiveatlas.org/branches/epidemiology}, note = {Accessed August 29, 2026} }Copy BibTeXReference and ClassificationDevelopingMagnifying Glass Over Clustered PointsThe study of how disease and other health outcomes are distributed across populations and what determines that distribution, the population level practice this atlas carries as distinct from medicine's own clinical study of disease in the individual patient. Epidemiology supplies public health with its central tools: incidence, prevalence, outbreak investigation and the tracing of causes back to exposures.FactsCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsCentral QuestionWell-attestedWho is affected by a given health outcome, where, and why, traced back to the exposures and conditions that explain the pattern. 1Key DebateWell-attestedAssociation is not causation, and epidemiology's own history is full of disputes over whether an observed correlation reflects a real causal exposure or a confounding factor, resolved case by case through further study rather than by the discipline's own rules alone. 1Cross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Institutions Well-attested Source Africa CDC WebsiteBiostatistics, Branches Well-attested Both are counted among public health's traditional core disciplines; biostatistics supplies the quantitative methods epidemiology's population measures depend on.Source Wikipedia: Biostatisticstier 3European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Institutions Well-attested Source ECDC WebsiteIncludesAttack Rate, Concepts Well-attested Basic Reproduction Number, Concepts Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Broad Street Pump Investigation, Milestones Well-attested Source UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, John Snow Sitetier 2Case Fatality Rate, Concepts Well-attested Contact Tracing, Practices Well-attested Source United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Official Sitetier 1Disability-Adjusted Life Year, Concepts Well-attested Doll and Hill British Doctors Study, Milestones Well-attested Epidemiological Transition, Concepts Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Framingham Heart Study Founding, Milestones Well-attested Source United States National Institutes of Health Official Sitetier 1Herd Immunity, Concepts Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Incidence, Concepts Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2John Snow, Figures Well-attested Source UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, John Snow Sitetier 2Launch of the Global Burden of Disease Study, Milestones Well-attested Prevalence, Concepts Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Publication of The Modern Rise of Population, Milestones Well-attested Thomas McKeown, Figures Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2William Farr, Figures Well-attested Source Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Sources1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.EpidemiologyQuote, EpidemiologyEpidemiology is a branch of medical science that uses statistics to study the distribution of disease in human populations and the factors determining that distribution.View the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: Epidemiological TransitionView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: IncidenceView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: Basic Reproduction NumberView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: Herd ImmunityView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: PrevalenceView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: Thomas McKeownView the Source1. Encyclopedia Britannicatier 2Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Includes: William FarrView the SourceUCLA Fielding School of Public Health, John Snow Sitetier 2UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of EpidemiologyIncludes: John SnowView the SourceUCLA Fielding School of Public Health, John Snow Sitetier 2UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of EpidemiologyIncludes: Broad Street Pump InvestigationView the SourceUnited States National Institutes of Health Official Sitetier 1US National Institutes of HealthIncludes: Framingham Heart Study FoundingView the SourceUnited States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Official Sitetier 1US Centers for Disease Control and PreventionIncludes: Contact TracingView the SourceECDC WebsiteEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and ControlAssociated With: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, About ECDC, infectious disease protectionView the SourceAfrica CDC WebsiteAfrica Centres for Disease Control and PreventionAssociated With: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, About Us, surveillance platformsView the SourceWikipedia: Biostatisticstier 3WikipediaAssociated With: Biostatistics, Applications, Public health sectionView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year