Introduction
Multiple diseases and health-related issues impact a high number of people in the modern world. The science of epidemiology exists to analyze these issues, identify their causes, and determine how they affect individuals. Furthermore, this science can show how and whether the health care industry can protect the population from these widespread issues. Descriptive epidemiology occupies a peculiar role regarding this science and deserves specific attention. Thus, the paper will present the theoretical understanding of descriptive epidemiology, show how this concept is used in public health nursing, and demonstrate the application of descriptive epidemiology to understand the issue of breast cancer.
Explaining the Concept of Descriptive Epidemiology
To begin with, one should explain the meaning of a broader term. Lesko et al. (2020) indicate that epidemiology is “the study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related states and events in specified populations, including the study of the determinants influencing such states” (p. 514). This science aims to establish the main factors of health problems to make the population’s health better (Biology LibreTexts, 2020). When scientists need to identify why and how a condition spreads, they use analytic epidemiology to study its determinants (Lesko et al., 2020). In turn, descriptive epidemiology is its part that only characterizes the distribution of health issues, injuries, and other events (Dicker, 2019). The information below will present a detailed insight into the descriptive epidemiology principles.
It is worth mentioning that descriptive epidemiology analyzes health conditions to identify their patterns. Dicker (2019) admits that this scientific branch uses specific epidemiologic variables, including time, place, and person. Firstly, time refers to disease rates changes over time, and particular graphs represent these data. Some diseases are predictable, and influenza shows an increasing pattern when cold weather comes. Other health conditions can show higher prevalence by months or even days of the week. Secondly, the place variable reveals some geographical patterns of disease. One should admit that descriptive epidemiology does not always focus on the occurrence of a problem in various countries. Dicker (2019) argues that it is also reasonable to draw attention to “place of residence, birthplace, place of employment, school district, hospital unit,” and others (p. 21). This information reveals whether a specific environment leads to the spread of disease. Thirdly, descriptive epidemiology uses various factors to collect and analyze the data according to the person variable. They include age, race, sex, marital status, occupation, socioeconomic status, and others (Dicker, 2019). This information demonstrates a peculiar population that is at risk of experiencing a health condition.
It is necessary to mention that this approach to investigating epidemiologic conditions results in a few substantial advantages. Firstly, the analysis above demonstrates how widespread a specific condition is in society or its separate parts. This information indicates whether the situation implies significant threats to the population. Secondly, the three variables provide “a detailed description of the health of a population that is easily communicated” (Dicker, 2019, p. 16). These data are useful since they allow researchers to identify how dangerous a condition is for individuals and their health. Finally, a descriptive epidemiological investigation is essential because it determines specific population layers that are more subject to suffering from a disease. In other words, this analysis shows what characteristic features make people more exposed to a particular health condition. The complete information is useful for researchers because it allows them to develop some cues regarding disease causes. In turn, these data can result in testable hypotheses that are necessary to investigate the problem and find possible solutions.
Descriptive Epidemiology in Public Health Nursing
There is no doubt that descriptive epidemiology results in significant benefits for public health nursing. As has been mentioned above, this scientific branch generates essential conclusions regarding specific health conditions and their occurrence in society. When it comes to public health nursing, this medical field requires information of this kind to provide individuals with decent care and improve their health outcomes. Epidemiological studies perform this function because they represent the collection and analysis of such data. That is why designs of this type are typical in the research field, and a study by Ibrahim et al. (2017) is among them. This scientific paper analyzes the issue of premature deaths of nursing home residents. Ibrahim et al. (2017) demonstrate that falls are the most typical cause of premature deaths. This information is essential for nurses because they should draw more attention to fall prevention strategies.
There is a more contemporary example of how descriptive epidemiology is applied in public health nursing. It refers to the COVID-19 pandemic that has already influenced millions of people. The epidemiological analysis is useful in this case to make public health nursing better. It means that the research field should undertake a descriptive epidemiological study to identify the coronavirus’s distributional patterns. Multiple scientific articles address this topic, and a paper by Chen et al. (2020) is among them. The researchers analyze the data of 99 individuals with 2019-nCoV pneumonia. The synthesized findings reveal specific patterns that deserve peculiar attention. The results show that older men with comorbidities are more subject to the disease under consideration (Chen et al., 2020). This information can be useful for public health nursing since it shows that this population layer should receive more intense care to reckon on positive health outcomes.
Defining a Health Disparity
It is worth mentioning that various layers of the population have different risks of experiencing a condition, which is called a health disparity. This term stands for preventable differences in the burden of disease, depending on people’s characteristic features. As for the example above, the coronavirus is more dangerous for older males, which is a health disparity. Almost every disease has such a disadvantaged population group, meaning that these people should receive additional and specific care.
Breast cancer is one of the most significant threats for women worldwide, and various countries face different health disparities. On the one hand, Li et al. (2016) have conducted an epidemiological analysis of breast cancer in China. The researchers have identified that the risk of getting breast cancer depends on aging. In other words, older individuals (85+ years old) are more subject to the given disease. Furthermore, Li et al. (2016) admit that breast cancer incidence rose by 166% in rural locations during 1989-2008 (p. 398). On the other hand, Manoharan et al. (2017) investigate female breast cancer in India and conclude that individuals of 70-74 years old are more exposed to the condition. The researchers also demonstrate that active lifestyles of metropolitan cities result in a higher incidence rate of breast cancer. The information below will interpret the two studies’ findings.
The two articles demonstrate that aging is the most significant factor that leads to increased epidemiology of breast cancer. It is so because people’s organisms lose protective features as they become older, which exposes them to the disease. At the same time, one should note that the researchers imply different results regarding the place variable. On the one hand, Li et al. (2016) show that the Chinese rural population suffers more significantly. It can be explained by the fact that the rural community has limited access to health care services. On the other hand, Manoharan et al. (2017) admit that citizens of Indian metropolitan cities are more subject to breast cancer. The reason is that active lifestyle results in delayed marriage, lower parity, and environmental influence, which results in a higher prevalence of the disease.
Conclusion
Descriptive epidemiology is a significant branch of the whole medical industry. This science helps researchers identify the distribution of a particular health condition across the population. This information is necessary to understand what factors result in an epidemic, what people suffer, and how long it lasts. Descriptive epidemiology is actively applied in public health nursing, and numerous epidemiological analyses prove this claim. These studies analyze the public health concerns and allow nurses to improve health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic is the current example of how this scientific branch generates benefits for the nursing field. Finally, descriptive epidemiology is useful to analyze multiple health disparities, and breast cancer is among them. Thus, it has been identified that residents’ age and place are the most influential factors that can determine whether a person is at risk of getting breast cancer.
References
Biology LibreTexts. (2020). Descriptive epidemiology. Web.
Chen, N., Zhou, M., Dong, X., Qu, J., Gong, F., Han, Y., Qui, Y., Wang, J., Liu, Y., Wei, Y., Xia, J., Yu, T., Zhang, X., & Zhang, L. (2020). Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: A descriptive study. The Lancet, 395(10223), 507-513. Web.
Dicker, R. C. (2019). Principles of epidemiology [PDF document]. Web.
Ibrahim, J. E., Bugeja, L., Willoughby, M., Bevan, M., Kipsaina, C., Young, C., Pham, T., & Ranson, D. L. (2017). Premature deaths of nursing home residents: An epidemiological analysis. The Medical Journal of Australia, 206(10), 442-447. Web.
Lesko, C. R., Keil, A. P., & Edwards, J. K. (2020). The epidemiologic toolbox: Identifying, honing, and using the right tools for the job. American Journal of Epidemiology, 189(6), 511-517. Web.
Li, T., Mello-Thoms, C., & Brennan, P. C. (2016). Descriptive epidemiology of breast cancer in China: Incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 159, 395-406. Web.
Manoharan, N., Nair, O., Shukla, N. K., & Rath, G. K. (2017). Descriptive epidemiology of female breast cancer in Delhi, India. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 18(4), 1015-1018. Web.