Cause and effect
The epidemiological approach
This chapter argues that the most important aim of epidemiology is to generate and use cause and effect theories to break the links between disease and its causes and to improve public health. The misapplication of theory may have serious repercussions including deaths on a mass scale, while the proper application of theory can transform the control of disease. Topics discussed include causality in science and philosophy; epidemiological causal strategy and reasoning; and models of cause in epidemiology.
Keywords: control of disease, causality in science, public health, disease, causation
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