EpidemicAn epidemic (from Greek ἐπί epi "upon or above" and δῆμος demos "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infections, an attack rate in excess of 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks is considered an epidemic.
EpidemiologyStudy of health and disease within a populationEpidemiology is the study of health outcomes and diseases in specific populations.Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases.
Merrill SingerMerrill Singer (October 6, 1950 – May 3, 2025) was an American medical anthropologist and professor emeritus in Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and in Community Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He was best known for his research on substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, syndemics, health disparities, and minority health.
Disease burdenDisease burden is the impact of a health problem as measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity, or other indicators. It is often quantified in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Both of these metrics quantify the number of years lost due to disability (YLDs), sometimes also known as years lost due to disease or years lived with disability/disease.
Community healthCommunity health refers to non-treatment based health services that are delivered outside hospitals and clinics. Community health is a subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by clinicians as part of their normal duties.
IntersectionalityTheory of discriminationAn intersectional analysis considers a collection of factors that affect a social individual in combination, rather than considering each factor in isolation, as illustrated here using a Venn diagram.Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how groups' and individuals' social and political identities result in unique combinations of discrimination and privilege.
PovertyLack of economic resourcesClockwise from top left: a homeless man in Toronto, Canada; a disabled man begging in the streets of Beijing, China; waste pickers in Lucknow, India; a mother with her malnourished child in a clinic near Dadaab, KenyaGlobal income distribution over time. The chart shows a significant shift of incomes toward higher levels.Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living.
Structural violenceStructural violence is a form of violence where in some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs or rights. The term was coined by Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, who introduced it in his 1969 article "Violence, Peace, and Peace Research". Some examples of structural violence as proposed by Galtung include institutionalized racism, sexism, and classism, among others.
PrognosisPrognosis (Ancient Greek: πρόγνωσις 'fore-knowing, foreseeing'; pl.: prognoses) is a medical term for predicting the likelihood or expected development of a disease, including whether the signs and symptoms will improve or worsen (and how quickly) or remain stable over time; expectations of quality of life, such as the ability to carry out daily activities; the potential for complications and associated health issues; and the likelihood of survival (including life expectancy).Medical anthropologyMedical anthropology studies "human health and disease, health care systems, and biocultural adaptation". It views humans from multidimensional and ecological perspectives. It is one of the most highly developed areas of anthropology and applied anthropology, and is a subfield of social and cultural anthropology that examines the ways in which culture and society are organized around or influenced by issues of health, health care and related issues.
Health equitySocial equity in healthHealth gap in England and Wales, 2011 CensusHealth equity is social equity in health. Disparities in health outcomes can be related to differences in access to social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequities, and face worse health outcomes than those who are able to access certain resources.
Independence (probability theory)When the occurrence of one event does not affect the likelihood of anotherIndependence is a fundamental notion in probability theory, as in statistics and the theory of stochastic processes. Two events are independent, statistically independent, or stochastically independent if, informally speaking, the occurrence of one does not affect the probability of occurrence of the other or, equivalently, does not affect the odds.
SynergySynergy is the concept that a combined effect of two or more entities is greater than the sum of their individual effects. The term synergy comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία synergia from synergos, , meaning "working together". Synergy is similar in concept to emergence. In essence, synergy describes a situation where the whole is greater than the simple sum of its parts (i.e., a non-linear addition of force, energy, or effect).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.