title: Occupational and environmental epidemiology--similarities and contrasts.
abstract: There has been considerable growth in the disciplines of occupational and environmental epidemiology in recent years, with both fields having to deal with increasingly complex exposure profiles and adverse health outcomes. Environmental and occupational epidemiology as distinct from general epidemiology are compared and contrasted. Similarities and differences between the two fields are systematically discussed in terms of epidemiological peculiarities, study design characteristics, sampling procedures, exposure assessment, typical biases, problems in determining causation, ethical constraints, and implementation possibilities for research findings. There is a need in South Africa to provide adequate training to health professionals working in these fields, so that high-quality research, which has the potential to contribute significantly to improvements in the health of workers and the general public, can be undertaken.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, University of Cape Town.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Y E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: von Schirnding
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004782:Environmental Health; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D004813:Epidemiology / Q000639:trends; D004989:Ethics; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013019:South Africa