Responses
Lisa Discussion:
Hi everyone,
Friis and Sellers (2021) define prevalence as “the number of existing cases of disease or health condition in a population at some designated time” (p 97). Prevalence can be measured by numbers, percentages or the number of cases in a population. Prevalence will provide data on what is occurring during a certain period of time. For example, when looking at data regarding the flu season. Prevalence will allow us to determine that the flu is more common during a certain time of year versus any other time of year. This will help hospitals, doctor’s offices and other healthcare facilities to prepare accordingly. Prevalence can help determine the extent of a health problem. Friis and Sellers (2021) also explain that prevalence data can also help determine the frequency of exposure to a source and determine the type of exposure taking place (p 100).
According to Shields and Twycross (2003), incidence is defined as “the number of instances of illness commencing, or of persons becoming ill (or dying or being hurt in injuries, or whatever) during a given period in a specified population” (p 50). Incidence will count only new cases of a set number of people in a specific time period of what is being studied and not a population that has a history of the disease. It is common, when determining the incidence rate, the population that is at risk is used as the denominator (Friis and Sellers, 2021, p 101). The time period can be a week, month, year or multiyear. Researchers could use incidence when studying occupational hazards. For example, employees who may be exposed to a toxic chemical for a certain amount of time could develop any number of diseases. Incidence rates would help “provide estimates of risk of developing the disease” (Friis and Sellers, 2021, p 107).
References
Friis, R.H. & Sellers, T.A. (2021). Epidemiology for Public Health Practice (6th Edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Shields, L & Twycross, A. (2003, Sep.). The difference between incidence and prevalence. Paediatric Nursing. Vol. 15. Iss. 7. Pp. 50. https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=75ee55ba-8cfc-44dc-8da9-02f00e6e57a0%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=14533542&db=cmedm
Jon discussion:
Aloha Everyone
Prevalence refers to the number of existing cases of a disease or health condition in a population at some designated time (Friis & Sellers, 2021, p. 97).
With a disease burden, prevalence can show a greater description to a population like obesity that according to Centers for Disease Control, the US obesity prevalence was 41.9% in 2017 – March 2020 and from 1999 –2000 through 2017 –March 2020, US obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 41.9%. During the same time, the prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to 9.2%. (Centers, 2022).
This prevalence can be used to evaluate the other related health disparities or health burdens associated with obesities risk factors and allocate the appropriate resources from educational to clinical prevention and treatment.
As in Friis, the analogy about the waterfall with a pool below, the pool below the waterfall is the prevalence of obesity or whatever health disparity that has occurred.
***How I see this personally to make a quick understanding:
The obese people are sitting in the pool (prevalence), the waterfall is healthy people binging uncontrollably on pizza (incidence) to become obese to get in the pool….
Incidence is the number of instances of illness commencing, or of persons falling ill, during a given period in a specific period in a specified population. More generally, the number of new health-related events in a defined population within a specified period of time. It may be measured as a frequency count, a rate, or a proportion (Friis & Sellers, 2021, p. 100).
An incidence would be more appropriate measure when there is an onset of disease to a specific population much like reporting new onsets, a fictitious account could be a mumps outbreak to children in a specific age (8 to 10 years old) in a school population of 100 students in a specific time frame.
Both incidence and prevalence are measurements, incidence is more specific.
Friis, R.H. & Sellers, T.A. (2021). Epidemiology for Public Health Practice (6th Edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 17). Adult obesity facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html